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ADMIRAL  DEWEY  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA. 


TO  THE 

GALLANT  AMERICAN  SAILORS  AND  SOLDIERS 

WHOSE 

HEROIC  DEEDS  IN  MANILA  BAY 

AND  IN 

THEIR  SANGUINARY  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINE  INSURGENTS 
HAVE  GAINED  FOR  THEM 

IMPERISHABLE  RENOWN  AND  THE  HONOR  OF  THEIR 
GRATEFUL  COUNTRYMEN 

THIS  VOLUME  WHICH 

RECOUNTS  IN  GLOWING  TERMS  THEIR  SUPERB  VALOR,  THEIR 

SELF-SACRIFICING  PATRIOTISM  AND  MAGNIFICENT 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

AS  A  SINCERE  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  DAUNTLESS  HEROISM  THAT  HAS 
WON  THE  ADMIRATION  OF  THE  WHOLE  WORLD 

AND  BROUGHT 

NEW  GLORY  TO  OUR  FLAG 


LIFE  AND  HEROIC  DEEDS 


OF 


ADMIRAL  DEWEY 


INCLUDING 

BATTLES  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

CONTAINING  A 

COMPLETE    AND  GLOWING    ACCOUNT  OF  THE   GRAND  ACHIEVE- 
MENTS OF  THE  HERO  OF  MANILA;    HIS  ANCESTRY  AND 
EARLY  LIFE;  HIS  BRILLIANT  CAREER  IN  THE  GREAT 
CIVIL  WAR;  HIS  FAMOUS  VICTORY  IN  THE 
HARBOR  OF  MANILA,  ETC.,  ETC. 

TOGETHER  WITH 

THRILLING  ACCOUNTS  OF  OUR  GREAT 
VICTORIES  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

THE  CLIMATE,  PRODUCTS  AND  RICH  RESOURCES  OF  THESE  WON- 
DERFUL ISLANDS,  TOGETHER  WITH  THE  MANNERS  AND 
CUSTOMS  OF  THE  PEOPLE,  THEIR  CITIES, 
TOWNS,  NATURAL  SCENERY,  ETC. 

BY  LOUIS  STANLEY  YOUNG 

Editor  of  "The  Bounding  Billow/'  the  official  organ  of  Admiral  Dewey's  fleet, 
printed  on  board  U.  S.  Flagship  Olympia 

IN  COLLABORATION  WITH 

HENRY  DAVENPORT  NORTHROP 

The  well-known  Author 


Superbly  Embellished  with  a  Galaxy  of  Phototype  Engravings 

PROVIDENCE  PUBLISHING  CO. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


Urtv.  Library  ^G  Santa  Cruz  2CXK 


Fntered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1899.  by 

J.    R.    JONES 

Tn  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
All  Rights  Reserved 


PREFACE. 

THE  whole  world  admires  a  hero,  and  no  nation  is  more 
proud  of  its  great  men  than  is  our  own.  Admiral  Dewey  won 
the  battle  of  Manila,  and  gained  the  most  brilliant  naval  victory 
known  to  history.  This  grand  achievement  startled  the  civilized 
world  and  made  him  the  idol  of  his  countrymen. 

His  magnificent  career  is  portrayed  in  this  volume,  and  the 
splendid  record  is  worthy  of  its  illustrious  subject.  It  furnishes  a 
vivid  description  of  him  from  his  boyhood  to  the  time  when  he 
sent  the  Spanish  fleet  to  destruction  and  wrote  his  name  high  on 
the  scroll  of  immortal  fame. 

Many  interesting  anecdotes  are  related  of  the  famous  Admi- 
ral's ancestry,  his  home  life  and  early  training.  Through  his 
heroic  deeds,  which  have  been  the  wonder  of  all  nations,  the  reader 
sees  the  grand  qualities  of  the  man  and  is  charmed  with  his 
noble  traits  of  character.  A  full  account  is  given  of  the  Admiral 
as  a  young  naval  cadet  while  he  was  preparing  himself  for  the 
remarkable  career  which  has  given  him  a  world-wide  celebrity. 

His  heroic  exploits  in  the  Civil  War  under  Admiral  Farragut 
are  fully  depicted.  In  the  naval  operations  on  the  Mississippi  he 
exhibited  all  the  traits  that  distinguished  him  as  the  commander 
of  our  Asiatic  fleet.  Quick  in  decision,  fearless  in  the  face  of 
danger,  actuated  only  by  loyalty  to  his  country  and  an  unflinch- 
ing sense  of  duty,  he  rose  from  one  position  to  another  by  the 
force  of  merit  alone  until  he  became  the  crowning  ornament  of 
the  American  navy. 

Following  the  intensely  interesting  account  of  Admiral  Dewey's 
boyhood  and  his  brilliant  career  in  our  great  Civil  War,  is  a 
complete  record  of  his  service  in  the  navy  up  to  the  time  of  our 
war  with  Spain.  A  thrilling  description  is  furnished  of  the  famous 
battle  in  Manila  Bay  in  which  Dewey  gained  his  superb  victoryi 
and,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  hurled  destruction  and 
death  at  the  Spanish  fleet.  The  reader's  heart  beats  high  and 
his  blood  tingles  as  he  reads  the  vivid  account  of  Admiral  Dewey's 


Vi  PREFACE. 


grand  achievements.  He  sees  the  "Iron  Dogs  of  War"  In  battle, 
hears  the  thunder  of  guns,  marks  the  cool  daring  of  the  gallant 
Admiral  on  the  bridge  of  his  flagship,  and  beholds  "  Old  Glory" 
waving  over  the  most  wonderful  naval  victory  of  which  history 
gives  us  any  record. 

Admiral  Dewey  himself  gives  a  most  striking  account  of  his 
great  achievement,  and  none  certainly  could  be  more  accurate  or 
more  interesting  to  the  reader.  In  his  own  concise  language  he 
depicts  the  struggle,  and  we  stand  with  him,  as  it  were,  on  the 
bridge  of  his  ship  and  look  out  upon  the  stirring  scene,  while  all 
our  emotions  of  patriotism  are  excited  and  we  hail  the  news  of 
victory.  Facts  and  incidents  relating  to  the  renowned  Admiral 
are  woven  through  this  volume. 

The  eyes  of  the  whole  country  have  been  turned  toward  the 
Philippine  Islands,  and  public  interest  has  followed  eagerly  the 
military  operations  of  our  gallant  army.  In  addition  to  the  life 
of  Admiral  Dewey  and  the  thrilling  story  of  his  great  naval  vic- 
tory, this  work  contains  a  complete  and  vivid  account  of  the 
battles  in  the  Philippines  ;  the  capture  of  Manila  by  our  American 
troops  ;  the  subsequent  attack  on  the  city  by  the  army  of  Aguin- 
aldo,  the  insurgent  general ;  the  brave  advance  of  the  American 
forces  under  Generals  Otis,  MacArthur,  Wheaton,  Hale,  and 
others  are  all  vividly  portrayed. 

All  the  latest  events  that  have  brought  renown  to  our  arms 
and  glory  to  our  flag,  including  the  thrilling  exploit  of  Colonel 
Funston,  when  he  charged  the  enemy's  trenches  with  nine  men, 
and  other  daring  deeds  of  our  gallant  soldiers,  together  with  the 
negotiations  between  the  Filipinos  and  our  commanders  to  end 
the  war,  are  depicted  in  this  masterly  volume. 

Added  to  all  this  is  a  graphic  description  of  our  new  posses- 
sions in  Asia.  A  fund  of  valuable  information  is  furnished  the 
reader  concerning  these  wonderful  islands.  Admiral  Dewey  has 
Jkaid  that  our  new  tropical  possessions  are  the  key  to  commerce 
in  Asia.  Their  climate,  vast  resources,  rich  soil  and  luxuriant 
products  are  all  fully  described,  together  with  the  cities,  towns 
and  manners  and  customs  of  the  people. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
ADMIRAL   DEWEY'S  ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  LIFE 17 

CHAPTER   II. 
YOUNG  DEWEY   AS   A   NAVAL  CADET  AT  ANNAPOLIS 29 

CHAPTER  III. 
DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  OUR  GREAT  CIVIL  WAR  ....      34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THRILLING   INCIDENTS  OF    DEWEY'S  FIRST  BATTLE 48 

CHAPTER  V. 

STORY  OF  DEWEY'S  MAGNIFICENT  VICTORY  AT  MANILA  AS 
TOLD  IN  "THE  BOUNDING  BILLOW,"  THE  OFFICIAL  OR- 
GAN OF  THE  FLEET,  PUBLISHED  ON  THE  FLAGSHIP 
OLYMPIA 64 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FLEET  IN  MANILA  BAY  .  ...      88 

CHAPTER   VII. 

ADMIRAL  DEWEY'S  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS   GRAND  ACHIEVEMENT  .    Ill 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

SUPERB  VALOR  OF  THE  AMERICAN  FLEET   AT   MANILA  ....    133 

CHAPTER   IX. 
THE  SPANISH  FLAG  STRUCK  TO   THE  STARS  AND   STRIPES  .    .    148 

CHAPTER   X. 

DOWNFALL   OF   THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 167 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XL 

CAPTURE  OF  THE  CITY  OF  MANILA  BY  ADMIRAL  DEWEY  AND 

GENERAL  MERRITT 187 

CHAPTER   XII. 

AN  OFFICER   OF  THE   UNITED   STATES   SHIP   RALEIGH  TELLS 

HOW  SHE  FIRED  THE   FIRST  SHOT 207 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
ON  BOARD  THE  FLAGSHIP   OLYMPIA  WITH   DEWEY 220 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

OUR   SOLDIERS   IN   THE   BATTLE   AND    CAPTURE  OF  MANILA  .    231 

CHAPTER   XV. 

AGUINALDO  AND  OTHER  LEADERS   OF  THE  INSURGENTS  ...    245 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE   FILIPINOS   AND   THEIR   WONDERFUL    COUNTRY ?60 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

STRANGE  AND   THRILLING   SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND  MANILA  .  273 

CHAPTER   XVIIL 

WAR   WITH   THE   FILIPINO   INSURGENTS 293 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
BRILLIANT  ACHIEVEMENTS  OF   OUR  GALLANT  SOLDIERS      .    .    306 

CHAPTER    XX. 
OUR  FAMOUS  NAVAL  HERO  CREATED  AN  ADMIRAL 323 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

HEROEb  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELDS  IN  THE   PHILIPPINES  .  341 


CONTENTS.  fe 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
DEWEY'S  BIG  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN  ......    352 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  LIBERAL  GOVERNMENT  OFFERED  TO   THE   FILIPINOS  ,    _    ,   .    863 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    HEROIC    DEEDS    OF    OUR    NAVAL  AND    MILITARY    COM^ 

MANDERS  CELEBRATED  IN  VERSE 373 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  STORY  OF   DEWEY'S  GREAT  VICTORY   TOLD  IN  OFFICIAL 

REPORTS  OF  OUR  NAVAL  COMMANDERS 421 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

OUR    NEW    POSSESSIONS— THEIR    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTS, 

RICH  RESOURCES  AND  INDUSTRIES 434 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

ADMIRAL   DEWEY  ON  HIS  FLAGSHIP   HOMEWARD  BOUND  .    .    ,    443 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
CONSTRUCTION  AND  EQUIPMENT  OF  OUR  BATTLESHIPS  ...    453 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

THE  CHIEF  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  DETECTIVES  TELLS  HOW 

HE  CAPTURED  THE   SPIES  OF  SPAIN 460 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

AGITATION   FOR  PEACE   ENDS  IN  RENEWAL  OF  HOSTILITIES  .    476 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS 489 

CHAPTER  XXXII 

REMINISCENCES  AND  ANECDOTES  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY        518 


ADMIRAL. 


GEORGE   D6WBY 

THE    HERO    OF  MANILA. 


OLD    SCHOOLHOUSE    AT    MONTPELIER,    VERMONT,    WHERE    YOUNG 
DEWEY    FIRST    ATTENDED    SCHOOL 


1 -YOUNG    DEWEY    IN    THE    APPLE    TREE       2.-DEWEY    AND    HIS 

GIVING    A    THEATRICAL    ENTERTAINMENT    IN    THE    BARN  3.-HIS 

FIRST    VOYAGE         4.-CHASTISED     BY    HIS    SCHOOLMASTER 


LIEUTENANT    DEWEY    SAVING    THE    LIFE    OF    A    COMRADE 


OFFICER    DEWEY    THE    LAST    TO    LEAVE    THE    BURNING    SHIP 
"MISSISSIPPI" 


SAILORS    ON    A    UNITED    STATES    WARSHIP    AWAITING    ORDERS 

TO    GO    ALOFT 


SAILORS     LEAVING    THE    SPANISH     SHIP     "REINA     CHKIS 
STORM    OF    SHOT    AND    SHELL 


i«  ''     IN    A 


CAPTAIN     LAMBERTON 
ADMIRAL  DEWEVS  CHIEF  OF  STAFF 


CAPTAIN    C.    V.    GRIDLEY 
LATE  COMMANDER  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEVS  FLAGSHIP  "  OLYMPIA  » 

"  YOU  MAY  FIRE  WHEN  YOU  ARE  READY,  GRIDLEY."-DEWEY 


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CAPTAIN    COGHLAN 
COMMANDER  OF  THE  RALEIGH 


KANSAS   REGIMENT   OFF   FOR   THE    PHILIPPINES 


ADMIRAL  DEWEY, 


THE 


HERO  OF  THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  OF  MANILA 


CHAPTER   I. 

Admiral  Dewey's  Ancestry  and  Early  Life. 

ANY  of  the  most  glowing  pages  of  history  commemorate  the  grand 
achievements  of  Naval  Heroes.     Some  of  the  fiercest  battles  have 
been  fought  on  the  water,  and  decided  the  destiny  of  nations.    The 
men  who  have  gained  famous  victories  on  the  sea  have  invariably 
been  made  the  idols  of  their  countrymen. 

England  had  her  Sir  Francis  Drake,  her  Lord  Howe,  her  Rodney  and 
Lord  Nelson,  the  last  of  whom  was  elevated  to  the  highest  pedestal  of  renown. 
Our  own  country  has  had  her  Paul  Jones,  her  Commodore  Perry  and  Ad- 
miral Farragut.  The  heroic  exploits  of  these  and  other  great  naval  com- 
manders will  live  as  long  as  the  historic  deeds  of  the  men  who  founded  the 
nation,  and  of  others  who  saved  it  in  the  dark  hours  of  its  peril. 

And  now  we  have  another  great  Naval  Hero  whose  brilliant  achieve- 
ments have  given  him  a  world-wide  fame,  and  whose  name  is  destined  to  be 
wreathed  with  immortal  glory.  Comparatively  unknown  until  his  guns  at 
Manila  shook  the  world  with  their  reverberations,  he  suddenly  became  a 
popular  hero,  and  his  countrymen  vie  with  one  another  in  doing  him  honor. 

We  have  here  a  striking  illustration  of  the  fact  that  the  emergency  always 
brings  the  man.  When  the  national  crisis  comes  the  great  leaders  are  found 
to  carry  the  Stars  and  Stripes  through  the  thick  of  the  fight,  and  maintain 
the  prestige  of  the  nation.  It  has  always  been  so,  and  judging  from  the  blood 
that  flows  in  the  veins  of  American  manhood  it  will  be  so  in  all  time  to 
come.  The  courage  of  our  navy  and  army  has  been  tested  in  many  a  trying 
hour  of  our  nation's  history.  That  courage  never  yet  has  failed,  and  there 
is  some  reason  for  us  to  be  proud  of  our  achievements,  and  of  the  men  who 
have  been  loyal  to  our  flag  and  have  maintained  its  honor. 

One  of  the  most  striking  effects  of  Admiral  Dewey's  great  victory  at 
Manila  was  the  revelation  it  gave  to  other  nations  of  the  globe  of  our  naval 
2  17 


18  ANCESTRY  AND   EARLY   LIFE. 

power  and  our  ability  to  dispute  in  sturdy  fashion  the  supremacy  of  the  seas 
Looking  through  the  history  of  our  country  one  can  scarcely  find  a  single 
naval  battle  where  American  ships  were  engaged  in  which  they  did  no\ 
triumph  over  their  foe.  This  is  due  to  both  tact  and  courage.  And  here 
especially  do  the  Yankee  traits  show  themselves.  Fertile  in  resources,  quick 
to  take  in  the  situation,  brave  and  resolute  in  the  face  of  danger,  and  above 
all  possessed  of  a  patriotism  that  burns  with  undying  ardor,  the  defenders  ol 
our  country  have  shown  themselves  to  be  invincible,  and  the  flag  under  which 
they  fought  has  never  been  struck  to  a  foreign  foe. 

Grand  Achievements  of  the  American  Navy. 

We  may  be  pardoned  if  we  recall  with  some  degree  of  pride  the  achieve- 
ments of  our  navy  in  the  past,  and  especially  during  the  Spanish-American 
war.  A  very  sudden  and  profound  respect  for  our  grim  battleships  has  been 
created  among  other  nations.  They  took  little  account  of  our  navy,  did  not 
know  its  size  or  capacity,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  Continental  Europe  has 
been  quite  as  much  astonished  at  our  tremendous  victories  as  were  the 
Spaniards  themselves.  Now,  wherever  one  of  our  battleships  goes  the  flags 
of  other  nations  are  dipped  with  such  respect  as  never  before  was  shown. 
Yet  we  have  never  claimed  to  be  a  warlike  nation.  There  is  a  widespread 
and  growing  feeling  against  the  settlement  of  disputes  by  the  arbitrament  of 
the  sword.  If  any  one  imagines  that  the  whole  American  people  are  warlike 
in  sentiment,  and  care  little  for  the  grander  victories  of  peace,  that  individual 
is  making  a  very  grave  mistake.  We  venture  upon  no  prophecies,  but  it  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  the  children  are  born  who  will  see  international  dis- 
putes settled,  not  by  the  sword,  but  by  councils  of  peace. 

Yet  when  the  time  comes  that  the  sword  must  be  drawn,  and  the  guns  of  our 
ships  must  be  shotted  with  something  besides  blank  cartridges,  there  is  no  shrink- 
ing from  the  call  to  arms.  Admiral  Dewey  is  a  typical  American.  A  man  of 
peace  until  the  hour  came  when  peace  could  be  maintained  no  longer,  he  was 
suddenly  transformed  into  a  warrior  of  iron  mould,  and  was  equal  to  the  occasion. 

The  American  people  are  interested  in  the  life  and  achievements  of  our 
greatest  naval  hero.  It  has  always  been  said  that  blood  tells,  and  this  state- 
ment receives  a  remarkable  proof  and  illustration  when  we  come  to  look  into 
the  ancestry  of  the  hero  of  Manila.  He  is  just  such  a  man  as  might  be 
expected  from  the  ancestry  that  went  before  him.  While  it  is  sometimes 
possible  to  discover  a  man  who,  by*  the  force  of  native  genius,  a  genius  not 
to  be  accounted  for  from  his  family  history,  comes  to  the  front  and  surprises 
the  world  by  his  deeds,  yet  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  old  saying  that 
blood  tells  holds  strictly  true. 


ANCESTRY  AND   EARLY    LIFE.  19 

While  it  will  not  add  a  particle  to  the  everlasting  fame  which  Dewey — • 
there  is  only  one  "  Dewey  " — has  brought  to  his  surname  through  his  heroism 
at  Manila,  yet  it  is  agreeable  to  know  that  he  is,  in  a  genealogical  point  of 
view,  no  "  upstart,"  and  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  ready  to  "  match  "  ances- 
tors with  any  one  who  may  come  along,  and  stands  ready  to  back  up  his 
assertions  with  statements  bearing  on  his  claims  found  in  Browning's  "  Ameri- 
cans of  Royal  Descent,"  Douglas'  "Peerage  of  Scotland,"  Dugdale's  "Baron- 
age of  England,"  Anderson's  "  Royal  Genealogies,"  "  The  Magna  Charta 
Barons  and  their  American  Descendants,"  and  the  other  big  guns  of  his 
genealogical  armament. 

The  Famous  Admiral's  Ancestors. 

Admiral  Dewey 's  pedigree  begins  on  the  very  border  of  mythology  with 
Thor,  the  Saxon  God,  or  cult-hero,  who,  according  to  the  ancient  Saxon 
chronicles  and  Snorra  Edda  of  the  Saxons,  was  the  ancestor  in  the  nineteenth 
or  twentieth  generation  of  another  cult-hero,  who  is  almost  a  myth,  called 
variously  Vothinn,  Othinn,  Odin,  Bodo  and  Woden,  the  King  of  the  West 
Saxons,  A.  D.  256-300,  who,  with  his  spouse,  Frea,  were  the  Mars  and  Venus 
of  Saxon  mythology.  This  King  Woden,  the  God  of  war,  is  described  as  the 
great-great-grandfather  of  the  bugaboos  of  English  history,  Horsa  and  Hengst, 
brothers,  freebooters  and  pirates,  of  whom  the  Saxon  annals  tell  us  that  Hengst 
was  the  King  of  Saxons,  and  died  between  A.  D.  474  and  495,  first  King  of 
Kent. 

Leaving  this  progenitor  of  the  Saxon  rulers  of  Britain,  Admiral  Dewey's 
royal  lineage  passes  along  the  royal  Saxon  line  on  the  continent,  through 
King  Hengst's  son,  Prince  Hartwaker,  to  the  historic  King  Dieteric,  and  his 
"  famous  "  wife  (he  had  others),  Wobrogera,  a  daughter  of  the  unique  char- 
acter, Bellun,  King  of  the  Worder.  Their  grandson,  Witekind  the  Great,  was 
the  last  King  of  the  Saxons,  A.  D.  769-807,  and  then  dwindled  into  only 
their  Dukes,  and  Duke  of  Westphalia,  while  his  descendants  for  a  few  gener- 
ations were  only  Counts  of  Wettin,  until  on  the  genealogical  line  we  come  to 
the  great  Robert — Robert-fortis — who,  by  his  sword,  became  Count  of  Axjor 
and  Orleans,  Duke  and  Marquis  of  France,  and  won  the  hand  of  the  fair  Lady 
Alisa,  sister-in-law  to  the  King  of  the  Francs,  Lothary  I. 

This  hero  of  mediaeval  history,  Robert-fortis,  the  great-grandson  of  the 
great  WTitekind,  was  the  founder  of  the  so-called  Capuchin  line  of  monarchs 
of  France,  for  from  him,  through  a  line  of  Dukes  of  France  and  Burgundy, 
Counts  of  Paris,  etc.,  who  by  their  swords  and  intermarriages,  became  firmly 
seated  on  French  soil,  was  descended  the  celebrated  Hugh  Capet,  Duke  01 
France,  v/ho  usurped  the  throne  of  France  and  supplanted  Charles,  Duke  of 


SO  ANCESTRY  AND   EARLY   LIFE. 

/.orraine,  the  heir  of  Louis  d'Outremere,  or  King  Louis  IV,  the  last  Carlovin- 
gian,  or  descendant  of  the  great  Emperor  Charlemagne,  to  occupy  the 
"  French  "  throne. 

Tis  said  "  blood  will  tell."  How  true  it  is  in  Dewey's  case.  The  blood 
of  the  finest  warriors  of  history  tells  in  him.  He  inherited  the  "  knack  of 
knowing  "  when  to  do  it  and  how  to  do  it,  and  is  the  peer  of  any  of  his  an- 
cestors from  Hengst  to  Hugh  Capet,  yet  unconsciously  he  emulated  the  traits 
of  many  of  them. 

Two  other  Kings  of  the  Capuchin  line — Robert,  the  Pious,  and  Henry, 
the  First — Dewey  numbers  among  his  illustrious  ancestors,  and  Gibbon,  in 
his  history  of  the  Roman  Empire,  tells  us  of  the  high  lineage  of  one  of  his 
early  ancestresses,  Anne  of  Russia,  wife  of  Henry  I,  of  France.  Gibbon  states 
she  was  the  daughter  of  Jaroslaus,  Grand  Duke  or  Czar  of  Russia,  A.  D. 
1015-1051,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Basil,  the  Macedonian,  first  Emperor  of 
Constantinople,  of  his  line,  A.  D.  867,  and  that  Basil  was  descended,  on  his 
father's  side,  from  the  Araeides,  the  rivals  of  Rome,  possessors  of  the  scepter 
of  the  East  for  400  years,  through  a  younger  branch  of  the  Parthian  monarchs, 
reigning  in  Armenia ;  and  on  his  mother's  side,  from  the  European  Constan- 
tine  the  Great,  and  Alexander  the  Great,  the  Macedonian. 

His  Illustrious  Lineage. 

All  these  illustrious  historic  characters  were  Dewey's  ancestors  and  so 
also  were  many  others,  he  or  any  one  can  ever  be  proud  of.  But  gene- 
alogy, like  politics,  "  makes  strange  bedfellows."  He  was  born  to  these — 
good,  bad  and  indifferent  ancestors — they  have  been  discovered  for  him,  not 
manufactured,  and  of  their  attributes  he  has  inherited  the  best,  so  it  appears. 

Continuing  Dewey's  pedigree,  we  find  that  one  of  his  ancestors — the  one 
necessary  to  connect  him  with  these  historic  characters — was  the  son  of  King 
Hfenry  I  of  France,  Hugh  the  Great,  or  Magnus,  Duke  of  France  and  Bur- 
gundy, Marquis  of  Orleans  and  Count  of  Paris,  and  through  his  wife,  Count 
of  Vermandois  and  Valois,  a  noted  man  of  his  day. 

It  is  here  that  Dewey's  pedigree  leaves  the  Continent  and  begins  to  be  a 
part  of  English  history.  Dewey's  ancestress,  Lady  Isabel  de  Vermandois, 
was  the  daughter  of  the  aforesaid  Hugh  Magnus,  and  was  the  first  wife  (he 
was  her  first  husband)  of  Robert  de  Bellomont,  or  Beaumont,  a  Norman,  Earl 
of  Millent,  who  accompanied  William  of  Normandy  on  his  expedition  to  Eng- 
land, and  for  the  part  he  took  in  the  conquest  was  created  in  1 103  Earl  of 
Leicester  and  granted  many  manors  in  England,  dying  in  1118.  He  had 
issue  by  Lady  Isabel,  Robert  Bosse  de  Bellomont,  2d  Earl  of  Leicester,  who 
was  justiciary  of  England,  and  dying  in  1168  had  issue  by  his  wife,  Lady 


ANCESTRY  AND    EARLY   LIFE.  2i 

Amelia  or  Amicia,  a  daughter  of  Ralph  de  Waer,  or  Waher,  who  in  1066 
was  the  Earl  of  Norfolk,  Suffolk  and  Cambridge,  but  forfeited  these  earldoms 
in  1074 ;  Robert-blanch-Mains,  third  Earl  of  Leicester  and  steward  of  England, 
whose  daughter,  Lady  Margaret  de  Bellomont,  was  an  ancestress  of  Admiral 
Dewey. 

This  lady  married  Saher  de  Quincey,  an  English  baron,  created  in  1207 
by  King  John,  to  win  him  over  to  his  side,  Earl  of  Winchester.  This  baron 
accepted  and  enjoyed  the  honors  conferred  on  him  by  John,  but  never  was 
friendly  to  him.  On  the  contrary,  he  was,  next  to  Fitz  Walter,  the  leader  of 
the  insurrectionary  barons,  and  did  as  much  work  as  any  of  them  to  compel 
King  John  to  grant  the  Magna  Charta — the  charter  of  liberty — and  was  one 
of  the  twenty-five  sureties  chosen  to  enforce  its  observance.  It  is  through 
this  baron  that  Dewey  is  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Order  of  Runnymede. 

Records  of  the  English  Peerage. 

Turning  now  to  the  pages  of  the  Scottish  peerage  books,  we  learn  that 
this  Earl  of  Winchester's  granddaughter,  Elizabeth  de  Quincey,  was  the  wife  of 
Alexander  de  Comyn,  second  Earl  of  Buchan,  who  was  a  descendant  o.t 
Donalbane,  King  of  Scots,  which  gives  Dewey  a  "  strain  "  of  the  sturdiest 
sort.  And  reverting  again  to  the  English  peerage,  we  find  that  Gilbert,. 
Baron  d'Umfraville,  married  Lady  Agnes,  a  daughter  of  the  aforesaid  Eliza. 
beth,  Countess  of  Buchan,  and  was  the  progenitor  of  a  line  of  Umfravilles  to 
Lady  Joan  d'Umfraville,  who  married  Sir  William  Lambert,  Knight,  Lord  oi 
Owlton  Manor,  in  Durham.  From  the  authentic  pedigrees  of  the  official 
Heralds  of  England  we  learn  that  a  great-granddaughter  of  this  marriage  was 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Lyman,  Gent.,  of  Navistoke,  in  Essex,  who  died  in  1509, 
and  the  mother  of  Henry  Lyman,  of  High  Ongar,  in  Essex,  who  was  the 
ancestor  of  that  Richard  Lyman,  born  at  High  Ongar  Manor  in  1580, 
who  came  to  the  Massachusetts  Colony  in  1631  and  died  in  1640  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  of  which  city  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  earliest  lot 
owners. 

His  son,  Richard  Ly man's  (of  Windsor,  Conn.,  died  in  1662)  daughter, 
Hepzibah,  married,  November  6,  1662,  Josiah  Dewey  (who  was  baptized  Oc- 
tober 10,  1641,  and  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Dewey,  the  first  of  this  surname 
to  come  to  the  New  World — to  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1633)  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  Josiah,  Jr.,  born  December  24,  1666,  who  was  the  lineal  ancestor, 
as  set  forth  in  the  "  Dewey  Genealogy,"  by  William  T.  Dewey,  of  Montpelier, 
Vt.,  of  our  gallant  hero,  Admiral  George  Dewey. 

George  Dewey  was  born  in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  on  Christmas  night,  1837. 
He  came  from  the  finest  Colonial  stock  of  New  England,  and  he  comes  of  a* 


22  ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY   LIFE. 

good  fighting  stock  as  ever  distinguished  itself.  It  was  such  stock  that  con- 
stituted the  Green  Mountain  boys  and  the  victory  at  Bunker  Hill. 

As  we  have  seen,  his  ancestor,  Thomas  Dewey,  was  among  that  small 
band  of  Pilgrims  which  landed  in  Massachusetts  Bay  in  1630.  Old  Ver- 
monters  will  tell  you  the  legend  of  another  of  his  ancestors,  named  the  Rev. 
Jedediah  Dewey,  who  began  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ  on  that  Sunday 
morning  when  the  Battle  of  Bennington  was  fought.  At  the  outbreak  of  wai 
the  Rev.  Jedediah  laid  down  the  Bible,  asked  the  congregation  to  follow  him, 
shouldered  his  musket  and  marched  to  the  firing  line.  When  he  had  helped 
vanquish  the  English,  he  went  back  to  church,  opened  the  Bible,  took  up  the 
fifthly  part  of  his  orthodox  sermon  and  went  on  as  if  a  victorious  affray  was 
an  everyday  affair. 

It  is  a  striking  coincidence  that  another  Dewey  should  sail  over  to  a  great 
fleet  on  another  Sunday  morning,  vanquish  this  fleet,  then  draw  back  his  ships 
and  have  breakfast  served. 

The  Admiral's  Religious  Belief. 

George  Dewey's  father  was  a  physician ;  his  mother,  a  beautiful  woman 
and  a  wit,  who  died  when  her  son  was  five  years  old.  Her  funeral  took  place 
from  Christ  Church,  which  her  husband  had  founded,  in  which  the  future  ad- 
miral was  christened,  and  at  whose  chancel  he  took  the  vows  of  membership. 

This,  in  addition  to  his  membership  in  Christ  Church,  answers  the  many 
rumors  concerning  Admiral  Dewey's  religious  belief.  He  is,  and  has  always 
been,  a  devout  Episcopalian.  He  is  one  of  the  many  great  Christian  com- 
manders of  the  world. 

Rumor  has  been  busy  making  of  George  Dewey  a  very  meek  and  quiet 
little  boy.  No  one  who  knew  him  will  define  him  by  those  adjectives.  A 
boy  may  be  shy,  but  with  great  force  ;  without  debate,  but  full  of  timely  action; 
not  talking  much,  but  observing  and  thinking.  Such  was  young  Dewey,  if 
the  talk  of  intimates  places  a  fair  estimate  on  his  character.  There  were 
many  traits  in  the  boy  that  have  been  broadly  developed  in  the  man.  He 
wanted  to  do  things  very  thoroughly.  He  was  quiet  until  his  time  came.  He 
never  shirked  a  punishment.  He  talked  little,  and,  as  a  schoolmate  said  of 
him,  "  he  was  never  a  dirty  little  boy." 

,  The  Admiral  is  remembered  now  for  his  punctilious  grooming,  his  irre- 
proachable outfit,  and  as  a  small  boy  he  always  looked  as  if  he  had  just  been 
Mnwrapped  from  tissue  paper. 

No  other  boy  dared  taunt  him  with  being  "  a  girl  baby  "  because  he  had 
tvhole  stockings  at  all  times  and  fresh,  clean  shirts  whenever  needed.  They 
didn't  taunt  him,  for  the  small  boys  of  Montpelier  had  learned  the  lesson  that 


ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY    LIFE.  23 

George  Dewey  seems  to  be  able  to  teach  forcibly  at  all  times — that  he  was 
able  to  soundly  thrash  those  who  annoyed  him. 

He  could  beat  boys  swimming  and  handling  horses,  and  you  can't  taunt 
a  boy  with  the  sneer  of  being  "  a  girl  baby  "  when  he  can  beat  you  on  your 
own  territory  of  accomplishments.  While  he  could  soundly  thrash  a  boy,  he 
wasn't  a  coward  when  it  c*me  to  taking  his  own  thrashing  if  he  was  cor- 
nered. 

Major  Z.  K.  Pangborn,  editor  of  the  Jersey  City  Journal,  used  to  teach 
young  Dewey  and  tell  a  story  of  how  the  young  Vermonter  was  in  a  con- 
spiracy to  thrash  him,  because  his  teaching  wasn't  approved.  Major  Pang- 
born  learned  of  the  conspiracy  and  had  their  punishment  ready  for  them,  and 
when  they  attempted  their  scheme  he  cornered  them.  The  Admiral  likes  to 
tell  this  story,  says  Major  Pangborn,  but  he  doesn't  tell  all  of  it,  which  is  that 
the  other  boys  ran  away  and  left  Dewey,  and  he  stood  up  like  a  man  and 
took  his  thrashing.  "  He  would  have  thrashed  me  willingly/'  said  the  master, 
"  but  when  he  couldn't,  and  he  was  caught,  it  evidently  never  entered  his  head 
to  dodge  and  run." 

Story  of  the  Master's  Ruler. 

The  day  of  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  when  the  streets  of  Montpe- 
lier  were  crowded  with  visitors,  was  made  a  sort  of  festival.  The  stout  young 
Vermonters  from  the  outlying  towns  were  treated  to  gingerbread  and  sweet 
cider,  and  there  were  public  contests  of  strength  and  skill.  On  these  occa- 
sions George  Dewey  often  distinguished  himself.  His  happy  knack  of  win- 
ning contests  dates  from  boyhood. 

It  was  at  school  that  his  "  badness  "  was  most  in  evidence.  Accounts 
differ  somewhat,  and  one  asserts  that  he  was  a  pugnacious  little  bully,  fighting 
his  mates  and  fighting  his  teacher;  yet  even  then  there  were  hints  of  a  higher 
ambition,  not  always  appreciated. 

"  I  want  to  visit  all  the  countries  on  earth,"  he  said  one  day  as  he  stood 
before  the  desk,  "  and  get  acquainted  with  all  the  rulers." 

The  master  grinned :  "  Here's  one  ruler  I'll  make  you  acquainted  with 
right  now,"  he  remarked. 

It  was  a  wooden  ruler,  and  the  ceremony  was  painful.  But  the  lad's  law- 
less behavior  soon  ceased  to  be  a  light  matter,  and  he  became  the  terror  of 
the  school,  the  ringleader  of  a  gang  of  three,  bigger  and  stronger  than  the 
rest,  whose  only  study  was  how  to  thwart  and  torment  the  teacher.  They 
ran  the  institution  much  like  a  troop  of  cowboys  raiding  a  Western  town. 
Already  several  teacher  victims  had  suffered  and  fled,  discipline  was  hooted  at 
and  the  trustees  were  at  their  wits'  end — all  on  account  of  "  that  Dewey  boy." 


24  ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY   LIFE. 

There  appeared  on  the  scene  a  new  master,  one  worthy  of  the  title,  as  it 
proved,  but  they  didn't  know  that  yet.  This  was  Z.  K.  Pangborn,  already 
referred  to,  a  husky  young  fellow  just  out  of  college.  His  name  should  be 
remembered,  for  he  conquered  Dewey.  It  was  really  a  great  event,  the  turning 
point  in  the  boy's  life. 

The  beginning  was  not  auspicious.  Old  residents  say  that  when  Pang- 
born  first  caught  sight  of  the  future  Admiral  the  youngster  was  perched  in 
a  tree  throwing  stones  at  the  other  boys  as  they  passed.  From  the  first  he 
had  always  managed  to  keep  himself  well  supplied  with  ammunition.  The 
teacher  ordered  him  to  quit ;  such  conduct  was  disgraceful.  Dewey  made  a 
response  that  was  not  altogether  polite. 

By  evening  the  young  rebel  had  organized  his  plan  of  attack.  As  usual 
he  did  not  wait  for  the  enemy  to  strike  the  first  blow.  He  formed  his  com- 
panions into  a  company,  provided  plenty  of  ammunition  in  the  form  of  frozen 
snowballs  and  lay  in  ambush  by  the  roadside.  When  the  teacher  came 
within  range  he  was  greeted  with  a  rattling  volley,  followed  by  fists  at  close 
quarters.  Bad  Boy  Dewey  alighted  upon  Panghorn's  shoulders  like  a  cata- 
mount and  tried  to  throw  him.  The  result  was  not  decisive,  but  Pangborn 
retreated  in  some  disorder,  leaving  the  field  to  the  boys. 

Lively  Time  in  the  Schoolroom. 

The  next  morning  the  schoolmaster  made  no  mention  of  the  surprise 
party,  but  promptly  ordered  a  boy  who  was  making  a  disturbance  to  take  a 
seat  on  the  front  bench.  That  was  the  signal.  The  Dewey  battalion  rose  in 
a  body  and  marched  forward.  Their  leader  informed  the  teacher  that  they 
were  going  to  "  lick  him." 

Pangborn  reached  for  his  rawhide.  George  struck  out  for  all  that  was 
in  him,  but  for  once  his  blows  didn't  land,  while  the  rawhide  fell  in  raking 
broadsides  on  his  head  and  shoulders  and  legs.  Some  of  the  other  boys  sailed 
in,  but  the  master  snatched  a  hickory  stick  from  the  woodbox  and  laid  them  low. 

A  few  hours  later  Pangborn  escorted  the  battered  twelve-year-old  to  his 
home  and  reported  to  his  father  that  he  had  brought  him  his  son,  "  somewhat 
the  worse  for  wear,  but  still  in  condition  for  school  work."  The  courtly  Dr. 
Dewey  thanked  the  teacher  for  his  services  and  promised  that  the  boy  should 
be  in  his  place  the  next  day. 

All  that  young  Dewey  needed,  apparently,  was  a  master  who  could  com- 
pel obedience  and  respect.  The  bad  boy  soon  became  the  best  boy  in  school 
and  the  brightest  scholar,  and  as  he  was  acknowledged  leader  the  others 
quickly  fell  into  line.  Years  afterward  George  Dewey,  then  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  Navy,  again  met  the  man  who  had  mastered  him. 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE.  24 

"  I  shall  never  cease  to  be  grateful  to  you,  sir,"  he  said.  "  You  made  a 
man  of  me.  But  for  that  thrashing  you  gave  me  in  Montpelier  I  should  have 
probably  been  in  the  state  prison  by  this  time."  So,  in  a  certain  sense,  School- 
master Panghorn  won  the  battle  of  Manila  bay.  In  the  final  outcome  the 
strokes  of  his  rawhide  fell  on  Spanish  shoulders. 

Surprises  His  Early  Acquaintances. 

Boys  who  grew  up  with  young  Dewey  were  surprised  when  he  became 
the  sensational  and  magnificent  centerpiece  of  the  war.  He  was  so  shy,  so 
quiet,  so  unobtrusive  in  his  Vermont  life  that  no  one  predicted  a  career  for 
him.  He  was  not  distinguished  for  any  one  thing.  He  was  not  even  a 
brilliant  student.  It  was  rather  astonishing  to  his  more  scintillating  class- 
mates how  he  passed  the  entrance  examination  for  Annapolis,  as  that  ex- 
amination was  even  more  difficult  then  than  now. 

But  he  did  pass,  and  that  was  another  of  the  traits  he  has  developed; 
and  while  he  was  appointed  only  as  alternate  and  didn't  get  the  preference 
appointment,  it  is  another  noticeable  fact  that  he  got  in  the  academy  and  the 
preference  man  went  into  the  ministry. 

Young  Dewey  exceedingly  disliked  society.  No  temptations  offered  by 
the  young  people  of  Montpelier  could  persuade  him  to  join  them  in  any  of 
the  simple  or  formal  social  life  of  the  city.  With  girls  he  had  little  to  say. 
They  embarrassed  him,  and  he  never  knew  what  to  say  to  them.  He  made 
his  firm  friends  among  those  girls  who  were  willing  to  break  down  his  shy- 
ness and  expected  no  conversational  brilliancy  from  him,  but  he  would  never 
enter  into  the  gay  life  of  the  little  town. 

He  had  stalwart  friends  among  boys,  for  with  all  his  shyness  he  had 
proved  the  red  blood  in  him.  He  was  not  a  prude,  and  enjoyed  life  as  it 
offered  itself  to  him,  a  vigorous,  healthy  boy;  but  it  was  widely  known  among 
his  schoolmates  that  he  was  not  a  liar,  nor  a  coward,  nor  a  boaster,  but  there 
was  no  boy,  physically  or  morally,  stronger  in  school  or  town. 

He  was  brought  up  to  thank  God  for  His  mercies,  and  his  father  used  to 
tell  the  following  application  of  the  boy's  training :  Once  when  George  fell 
down  from  a  fence  and  injured  his  arm  his  father  said  to  him,  as  he  was  lus- 
tily screaming:  "Myl  but  you  are  awkward;  now  you  have  broken  your, 
arm." 

"  Well,  you  should  thank  God  I  didn't  break  both  of  'em,"  sobbed  the 
indignant  young  sufferer. 

George  was  not  so  shy,  but  he  had  the  usual  grain  of  conceit  which  is  as 
salt  to  an  egg  in  a  strong  man's  character;  and  his  favorite  pastime  as  a  small 
boy,  and  up  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  was  playing  actor.  He  had  a  the** 


26  ANCESTRY  AND   EARLY   LIFE. 

tre  in  the  barn,  which  was  the  Mecca  of  all  small  boys  with  talent  and  desire, 
for  fun.  The  curtain  was  a  buffalo  robe,  the  admission  a  few  pins — and 
George  always  took  the  prominent  part,  the  heavy  role ! 

"The  Performance  Must  Go  On." 

His  sister,  Mrs.  Greely,  tells  of  a  time  when  the  star  actress  fell  sick  at  the 
last  moment,  and  George  insisted  she  should  take  the  part.  She  got 
horribly  frightened  and  whispered  to  George  she  couldn't  think  of  a  thing 
to  say. 

He  answered:  "Well,  make  it  up  as  you  go,  then  ;  the  performance 
must  go  on."  Observe  the  commander  of  Manila  in  that  boy ! 

When  young  Dewey  was  fourteen  years  old  Major  Pangforn,  the  teacher 
who  had  thrashed  him,  moved  to  a  neighboring  village  and  established  a 
private  school.  George  went  with  him,  for  he  was  sincerely  fond  of  this 
teacher.  But  in  a  few  months  the  boy  began  to  be  very  restless  and  discon- 
tented. The  desire  for  an  army  life  made  its  appearance,  and  he  begged  his 
father  to  send  him  to  a  military  academy. 

The  nearest  one  was  Norwich,  which  has  since  been  moved  to  North- 
field,  in  the  same  State.  So  determined  was  he  to  enter  the  army  that  he  had 
his  studies  at  the  academy  given  in  view  to  a  preparation  for  West  Point. 
The  drills  of  the  academy  were  his  delight,  and  he  felt  satisfied  that  he  had 
chosen  the  right  trend  of  life  work. 

As  the  year  went  on,  however,  he  began  to  care  more  for  the  naval  side 
of  the  studies  than  the  army.  He  shifted  into  these  studies  vigorously,  and 
begged  his  father  to  let  him  go  to  sea.  His  father  refused,  and  declared  him- 
self in  despair  because  this  boy's  heart  seemed  so  set  on  taking  up  a  rover's 
life.  He  gave  the  boy  a  year  or  two  to  try  his  resolve,  and  at  seventeen 
young  Dewey  was  still  determined  to  take  to  the  sea. 

Dr.  Dewey  determined  that  if  George  would  go,  he  must  go  after  the 
dignity  of  the  Deweys,  in  keeping  with  his  stock  and  class.  He  applied  for 
an  Annapolis  appointment,  but  young  Spaulding  wanted  it,  too,  and  got  the 
appointment  with  Dewey  as  alternate.  However,  Dewey  got  in  the  academy 
and  stood  his  examination  without  especial  brilliancy,  but  sufficient  to  pass 
lim.  He  entered  Annapolis  in  1854. 

Before  following  young  Dewey  to  the  school  where  he  was  to  be  educated 
i  i  naval  warfare,  it  will  be  of  interest  to  take  a  further  glance  at  his  boyhood, 
1  te  was  brought  up  in  a  typical  New  England  town.  The  steady  habits  of  the 
people  were  exemplified  in  providing  good  schools  for  their  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, in  regular  attendance  upon  church,  in  retiring  to  bed  at  what  city  people 
call  a  most  absurd  hour,  in  the  industrious  pursuit  of  their  various 


ANCESTRY  AND   EARLY   LIFE.  27 

callings,  and  in  bestowing' a  vast  amount  of  excellent  advice  upon  the  young 
people,  which  it  is  to  be  feared  the  young  people  did  not  always  follow. 

Scenes  of  Dewey's  Childhood. 

Montpelier  is  to-day  very  much  what  it  was  in  Dewey's  childhood.  Like 
most  New  England  towns  the  streets  are  lined  with  tall,  majestic  elms.  The 
white  cottages  are  clustered  under  overhanging  branches,  and  the  surrounding 
views  are  inviting  to  the  eye  that  loves  the  open  country.  The  town  is  not 
without  its  river,  on  the  banks  of  which  young  Dewey  used  to  play,  and  in 
the  waters  of  which  he  sported  with  other  boys  in  summer-time.  A  sister, 
Mary,  two  years  younger  than  himself,  was  his  frequent  companion ;  they 
played  together,  rambled  over  the  fields  together,  and  enjoyed  their  pastime 
as  good,  well-disposed,  healthy  children  always  do. 

The  lad  had  a  present  of  a  "  Life  of  Hannibal,"  and  was  fond  of  playing 
that  he  was  the  hero,  making  a  big  snow-drift  answer  for  the  Alps  over  which 
Hannibal  led  his  army.  Often  the  children  gathered  others  from  the  neigh- 
borhood and  amused  themselves  in  the  barn  by  giving  minstrel  shows  and 
playing  circus.  Young  George  always  contrived  to  be  the  manager  and  chief 
performer  on  these  occasions,  thus  exhibiting  at  that  early  date  his  tendency 
to  be  at  the  head  in  everything  he  undertook.  As  a  lad  he  was  considered  a 
ready  fighter,  full  of  pluck  and  spirit,  quick  to  resent  an  insult,  and  not 
in  the  habit  of  being  imposed  upon  without  entering  a  protest  with  both 
fists.  He  showed  even  then  the  combative  spirit  that  actuated  him  after- 
wards. 

Moreover,  if  all  traditions  can  be  believed,  there  were  staid  people  in  the 
town  who  thought  George  was  a  pretty  wild,  headstrong,  harum-scarum  boy 
who  would  certainly  come  to  some  bad  end.  Very  likely  some  of  the  best 
men  in  town  predicted  this,  although  they  themselves  in  childhood  outstripped 
Geoige  Dewey  in  roguery  and  recklessness.  The  lad  was  sure  to  be  foremost 
in  winter  sports,  and  in  summer,  if  there  was  a  good  orchard  anywhere,  he 
was  sure  to  know  it,  and  was  also  well  acquainted  with  the  tree  that  bore  the 
best  apples.  And  it  is  affirmed  that  he  cared  more  for  the  apples  than  for  in- 
quiring who  was  the  owner  of  the  tree. 

Thus  it  ^ill  be  seen  that  our  future  Admiral  was  just  an  average  boy, 
with  perhaps  a  trifle  more  of  the  boy  spirit  than  one  would  commonly  find. 
He  was  fa)l  of  life,  was  always  wide-awake,  yet  was  not  over  bold,  and  withal 
appears  to  have  been  somewhat  retiring  in  disposition.  He  was  such  a  lad  as 
would  naturally  win  the  good-will  of  others  and  would  find  friends  wherever 
he  went.  His  parents  and  ancestors  were  among  the  most  respectable  people 
of  the  town  and  occupied  positions  of  influence. 


28  ANCESTRY  AND    EARLY   LIFE. 

It  is  related  that  when  the  people  of  Montpelier  after  the  battle  of  Manila 
were  celebrating  the  proud  achievements  of  their  fellow-townsman,  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  showed  the  estimate  of  at  least  one  of  the  old  residents 
of  the  place,  a  sort  of  droll  character  with  a  strong  infusion  of  Yankee  shrewd- 
ness. While  the  crowd  was  lining  the  street  this  man  was  seen  making  his 
way  toward  the  old  school-house,  carrying  a  long  board  which  was  carefully 
wrapped  so  that  no  one  could  see  it. 

Inscription  on  the  Old  Schoolhouse. 

Arriving  at  the  school-house  the  man  took  off  the  covering  and  pro- 
ceeded to  nail  the  board  up  over  the  door.  When  people  read  it  they  found 
this  lettering  :  "  Here  is  where  his  ideas  were  taught  to  shoot."  A  profound 
truth  is  conveyed  in  this  statement.  The  old  New  England  school-house  has 
been  the  nursery  of  some  of  our  country's  greatest  men.  There  they  studied, 
played  pranks  in  their  boyhood,  and  perhaps  were  soundly  whipped,  but  it  is 
well  to  recall  the  saying  inscribed  on  the  Connecticut  house  built  at  the 
World's  Fair  :  "  The  finest  products  of  Connecticut  are  her  men  and  women." 

It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  in  Dewey's  case  as  well  as  in  nearly  all 
others,  the  boy  was  the  father  of  the  man. 

The  career  of  George  Dewey  is  worthy  of  the  great  American  historian 
of  the  future.  Almost  at  the  close  of  his  active  life  this  soldier  of  the  sea  was 
told  to  "  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet."  He  did  destroy  it.  He  let  no  ship 
escape.  He  lost  not  a  man  in  his  fleet.  He  proved  himself  a  statesman  in 
the  subsequent  handling  of  affairs  at  Manila.  He  showed  himself  master  over 
any  situation.  Well  has  he  won  his  proud  title  of  admiral  of  the  navy,  better 
still  has  he  won  the  gratitude  of  a  great  people,  and  best  of  all  has  he  won  for 
himself  a  name  written  large  and  glorious  in  the  naval  history  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  II. 
Young  Dewey  as  a  Naval  Cadet. 

Hfc,  most  that  any  candidate  for  the  navy  can  do  while  taking  hu: 
course  of  education  is  to  attend  faithfully  to  his  studies,  be  re- 
spectful to  his  superiors,  and  make  the  most  of  the  training  which 
is  intended  to  fit  him  for  future  service.  It  does  not  always  follow 
that  the  young  man  in  any  school  or  college  who  gains  a  high  rank  in  his 
class  will  make  the  greatest  success  in  his  profession  when  he  goes  out  to  put 
the  knowledge  he  has  acquired  to  the  practical  test. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  student  in  a  naval  academy  will,  during 
the  course  of  his  studies,  show  the  materials  of  which  he  is  made,  and  will 
give  some  evidence  of  what  he  will  accomplish  afterward.  Many  of  the  best 
scholars  havt?  been  failures  after  their  education  was  completed,  and  many 
who  did  not  give  any  very  bright  promise  have  achieved  success  when  their 
opportunity  arrived,  and  have  surprised  those  who  were  almost  ready  to  call 
them  stupid  aad  predict  that  they  would  turn  out  to  be  failures.  It  is  never  safe 
to  reckon  a  young  man  up  and  say  what  he  will  come  to  in  after  life.  Some 
of  the  most  promising  turn  out  the  poorest,  and  some  who  give  no  evidence 
of  possessing  brilliant  traits  are  found  to  be  competent,  and  in  emergencies 
develop  powtrs  for  which  no  one  gave  them  credit. 

Little  to  Distinguish  Him  from  Others. 

It  i  not,,  therefore,  at  all  strange  that  during  young  Dewey's  career  as  a 
naval  cadet  no  one  predicted  that  he  would  reach  the  rank  of  Admiral,  the 
highest  position  in  our  navy.  It  was  known  that  he  had  come  from  good 
stock,  that  N^w  England  boys  were  for  the  most  part  bright,  industrious  and 
enterprising.  It  was  known  that  his  home  life,  early  surroundings  and 
teachings  had  been  such  as  to  develop  his  best  and  strongest  traits  of  char- 
acter. From  all  this  it  might  have  been  guessed  that  he  would  faithfully' 
fulfill  his  duties,  yet  there  was  nothing  about  him  at  the  naval  academy  to 
distinguish  him  from  many  others. 

It  is  never  known  what  a  young  man  can  do  until  he  gets  waked  up  and 
sets  himself  in  earnest  to  accomplish  his  task.  Many  who  have  the  reputation 
of  possessing  only  moderate  ability  have  never  really  shown  what  is  in  them, 
and  they  are  not  likely  to  show  it  until  there  is  some  occasion  that  calls  forth 

IS 


30  YOUNG  DEWEY   AS  A   NAVAL   CADET. 

their  slumbering  powers  and  nerves  them  to  grand  achievement.  For  ih^ 
reason  the  remark  is  often  made  that  the  sons  of  rich  men  are  most  unfor- 
tunate. It  is  not  necessary  that  they  should  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost 
and  they  seldom  do  ;  therefore  very  little  is  expected  of  them.  The  poor  boy 
must  work  ;  he  has  his  own  fortune  to  make  if  it  ever  is  made,  and  so  he  is 
the  one  who  is  the  most  likely  to  succeed. 

The  regular  four  years'  Annapolis  course  does  not  seem  to  have  beei. 
'spent  by  young  Dewey  in  any  conspicuous  manner.  He  does  not  appear  to 
have  stood  out  in  prominence  in  any  one  thing.  He  has  no  record  for  mis- 
chief and  rollicking  sport  as  Commodore  Schley  had  •  for  sternness,  erraticism 
and  ability,  as  Hobson. 

Took  High  Rank  in  His  Class. 

He  just  seemed  to  be  an  ordinary,  good  looking,  sweet  tempered  young 
naval  cadet.  The  records  of  Annapolis  do  not  show  any  tragedy  or  comedy 
in  his  life  down  there.  He  must  have  studied  well,  for  out  of  the  sixty  men 
who  entered  the  class  in  '54  young  Dewey  came  out  among  the  sixteen  who 
graduated  number  five  in  rank.  Of  course  this  is  not  like  being  first,  which 
is  the  record  most  people  expect  of  a  hero,  and  which  is  the  record  that  most 
parents  show  up  to  young  boys  when  trying  to  instil  greatness  by  example  in 
them.  As  far  as  Annapolis  went  young  Dewey  showed  no  sign  of  being  an 
admiral.  He  was  beloved  by  the  men  and  liked  by  all  his  teachers,  which 
traits,  as  we  all  very  well  know,  are  not  the  signs  of  genius. 

If  any  one  analyzed  him  at  Annapolis  they  said  he  was  a  gentleman, 
very  fond  of  athletic  sports,  and  ready  to  study  when  necessity  made  him. 
Young  Dewey  must  have  been  a  little  worried,  however,  over  his  standing 
fifth  in  a  class  of  sixteen.  Perhaps  his  father  was  anxious  that  his  son  should 
have  done  better.  Whatever  the  reason,  when  the  examination  for  ranking 
came  on  young  Dewey  applied  himself  to  his  studies  very  vigorously.  The 
class  was  called  for  an  examination  for  commission,  as  all  graduating  classes 
are  called  in  Annapolis,  and  he  studied  so  well  and  answered  his  questions 
with  such  vigor  and  directness  and  knowledge  that  the  examiners  advanced 
him  over  two  of  his  fellows  who  were  above  him  in  the  academy  examina- 
tions, and  gave  him  the  rating  of  No.  5  in  the  graduating  class  of  1858. 

This  instance  seems  to  point  out  a  characteristic  in  the  Admiral's  tem- 
perament which  his  loyal  friends  in  naval  life  love  to  speak  of  to  day.  The 
trait  is  this:  he  seems  to  go  in  very  quietly  without  giving  people  the  impres- 
sion that  he  has  any  ability  until  he  gets  ready  to  act.  Then  when  he  acts  he 
succeeds. 

Young  Dewey's  success  in  getting  this  victory  over  his  classmates  before 


YOUNG    DEWEY   AS   A   NAVAL   CADET.  31 

the  Commission  Examiners  evidently  astonished  his  classmates  quite  as  much 
as  the  victory  of  May  1st  astonished  his  associates  in  the  Navy.  Men  are  so 
apt  to  judge  another  man  as  able  and  ambitious  and  brilliant  if  he  shows 
reckless,  impulsive  action,  and  are  always  astonished  when  the  shy,  unobtru- 
sive ones  of  life  do  a  great  thing  with  calmness  and  assurance.  The  world 
never  looks  for  brilliant  achievements  in  a  shy  and  modest  man,  yet  the 
centuries  have  gone  on  proving  that  the  quiet  men  and  women  sometimes 
develop  by  incident  or  accident  into  the  greatest  commanders  and  influences 
the  worJd  knows.  So  ended  George  Dewey's  early  boyhood. 

Called  by  His  Classmates  "The  Lucky." 

He  had  gained  his  point  in  entering  Annapolis,  when  his  father  had  to 
be  bitterly  argued  with ;  he  had  been  appointed  alternate  and  had  won  the 
battle  over  the  alternate,  and  had  entered  into  his  chosen  life  work.  He  had 
been  one  of  sixty  to  enter  the  Naval  Academy  in  '54 ;  he  had  been  one  of  six- 
teen to  graduate  out  of  that  class  of  over  half  a  hundred;  he  had  come  out  of 
that  sixteen  five  in  number,  and  not  content  with  that  rating  he  had  studied 
for  two  years  so  that  when  in  1860  he  was  examined  for  commission  he  was 
placed  over  two  of  his  classmates.  These  were  George  Dewey's  first  victories, 
and  these  three  victories  were  not  to  be  despised  by  any  young  man  23 
years  of  age.  His  classmates  dubbed  him  "  The  Lucky."  They  did  not 
know  how  well  they  prophesied,  but  his  luck  was  of  the  kind  that  the  world 
often  misnames  ;  the  luck  which  knows  desperately  hard  work. 

All  the  stories  of  Dewey's  early  life  have,  of  course,  become  of  great  in- 
terest to  the  reading  public  since  his  grand  work  at  Manila  has  made  him 
famous.  When  he  was  a  young  lieutenant  he  was  located  in  Maine,  and  on 
one  occasion  was  compelled  to  answer  in  court  for  a  transaction  that  has 
since  been  related,  yet  with  some  divergence  from  the  truth. 

To  George  F.  Plaisted,  an  old  and  highly  respected  resident  of  York, 
Me.,  belongs  the  unique  distinction  of  being  the  only  man  who  ever  placed 
Admiral  George  Dewey  under  arrest.  An  absurdly  inaccurate  and  misleading 
statement  as  to  how  this  came  about  has  gone  the  rounds  of  the  press,  but 
the  facts  are  set  forth  tersely  and  interestingly  in  a  letter  which  Mr.  Plaisted 
allowed  to  be  published  and  which  is  as  follows : — 

"  The  story  of  my  fining  Lieutenant  Dewey  for  assault  some  thirty  years 
ago,  which  has  appeared  in  many  newspapers  of  late,  was  not  authorized  by 
me,  and  is  incorrect  in  its  essential  parts.  In  the  published  story  it  was  said 
that  Lieutenant  Dewey  thrashed  a  United  States  marine  at  the  Kittery  Navy 
Yard,  and  that  Justice  Plaisted  heard  the  complaint  and  fined  Dewey  $25. 


32        YOUNG  DEWEY  AS  A  NAVAL  CADET. 

The  fine,  so  ran  the  story,  was  promptly  paid,  the  lieutenant  remarking  with 
a  chuckle,  as  he  paid  over  the  money,  that  it  was  worth  $2$  to  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  thrashing  such  a  disgrace  to  the  United  States  navy. 

"  Now,  the  law  of  Maine  gives  a  trial  Justice  jurisdiction  only  to  the  extent 
of  a  ten-dollar  fine.  In  the  next  place,  if  Lieutenant  Dewey  had  assaulted  a 
United  States  marine  he  would  have  been  court-martialed  if  tried  at  all,  and 
no  civil  authority  would  have  had  jurisdiction.  Thirdly,  I  never  was  a  trial 
Justice. 

"The  facts,  however,  are  these:  I  was  at  that  time  a  deputy  sheriff  in  and 
for  the  county  of  York,  and  as  such  arrested  Lieutenant,  now  Rear  Admiral, 
George  Dewey  for  an  alleged  assault.  He  objected  to  my  making  the  arrest 
as  he  was  a  United  States  officer,  and  claimed  that  I  had  no  authority  in  the 
premises.  I  did  arrest  him,  however,  and,  as  you  will  see  by  the  photograph 
of  my  sheriff's  docket,  he  was  fined  $5  and  costs  of  court,  the  costs  amount- 
ing to  $8.80,  a  total  fine  of  $13.80. 

Hit  Him  on  the  Head  with  a  Speaking  Trumpet. 

"  Lieutenant  Dewey  was  then  a  young  man  and  felt  quite  grand  with  his 
stripes.  He  has  doubtless  learned  a  great  deal  since  then.  He  looked  upon 
me  with  disdain,  and  thought  a  country  deputy  sheriff  wasn't  anybody.  He 
was  not  satisfied  that  I  could  legally  arrest  him,  so  at  his  suggestion  we 
repaired  to  the  Commodore's  office  to  have  that  point  settled. 

"  The  Commodore  listened  while  Lieutenant  Dewey  stated  his  side  of  the 
case.  He  then  asked  me  if  I  was  an  officer,  and  if  so  what  kind.  I  told  him. 
He  asked  for  the  warrant.  I  showed  it  to  him.  Then,  after  prodding  me 
with  a  few  more  questions,  the  Commodore  turned  to  Lieutenant  Dewey  and 
said:  'Lieutenant,the  young  man  is  right,  and  you  had  better  prepare  for  trial.' 

"  That  rather  took  the  wind  out  of  Dewey's  sails,  and  in  due  time  he  was 
tried  with  the  result  shown  on  the  docket.  Garland,  the  complainant,  was  a 
private  citizen,  and  Lieutenant  Dewey  had  hit  him  a  lively  crack  on  the  head 
with  a  speaking  trumpet. 

"  Thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  I  became  acquainted  with  Lieutenant 
Dewey,  and  but  for  his  unparalleled  victory  over  the  Spanish  fleet  at  Manihi 
I  probably  would  never  have  been  reminded  of  the  episode  of  so  long  ago 
which  led  up  to  that  acquaintance. 

"GEORGE  F.  PLAISTED." 

The  town  of  York  in  which  Mr.  Plaisted  lives  adjoins  that  of  Kittery,  in 
which  the  so-called  Portsmouth  Navy  Yard  is  located.  The  old-time  assault 
case,  which  Mr.  Plaisted  now  recalls,  and  as  to  the  disposition  of  which  his 


GENERAL    LOYD    WHEATOM 

THE  RENOWNED  COMMANDER  IN  THE  PHILIPPIC* 


COLONEL    A.    L.    HAWKINS 

GALLANT  COMMANDER  OF  THE  TENTH  PENNSYLVANIA  REGIMENT 


SIGHTING    GUNS-SCENE    IN    THE    ATTACK    ON    THE    DEFENCES    OF    MANILA 


LANDING   OF    UNITED    STATES    TROOPS    IN    THE    PHILIPPINES 


OUR    SOLDIER    BOYS    IN    THE    PHILIPPINES    WRITING    HOME 


AGUINALuO,     Tn£    INSURGENT     LEADER 
OF    THE    FILIPINOS 


CAPTURE    OF    PAGSAJAN    BY    THE    AMERICAN     LAND    AND    NAVAL    FORCES 


GENERAL    MAcARTHUR 

WHO  18  RENOWNED  FOR  HIS  GALLANT  ACHIEVEMENTS 
IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 


YOUNG   DEWEY  AS   A   NAVAL 


Sheriff's  docket  is  a  silent,  but  positive  witness,  took  place  in  Kittery,  near  the 
navy  yard.  The  defense  was  that  the  assault  was  justifiable.  From  the  point 
of  view  of  a  high-spirited  young  officer  who  had  no  use  for  a  loafer  and  would 
not  take  back  talk  from  a  fresh  civilian  it  doubtless  was ;  not  so,  however,  in 
the  eye  of  the  law. 

The  Sheriff  of  many  years  ago  is  now,  by  the  way,  one  of  the  busiest 
men  in  York,  and  vigorous  for  one  of  his  years.  Besides  editing  and  pub- 
lishing the  York  Courant — "  a  bright,  lively  local  newspaper,  devoted  to 
the  best  interests  of  York  and  surrounding  towns  " — he  practices  law,  writes 
insurance,  deals  in  general  merchandise  and  acts  as  notary  public. 

A  Relic  Highly  Valued, 

Money  could  not  buy  the  old  docket,  which  shows  that  its  owner  once 
placed  the  great  admiral  under  arrest  and  made  him  step  into  court  and  toe 
the  mark.  It  is  likely  that  the  valued  relic  will  be  kept  in  the  Plaisted  family 
and  be  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation.  There  is  but  one  other 
possible  disposition  of  it.  The  former  Sheriff  may  present  it  to  Admiral 
Dewey  when,  at  the  first  opportunity,  he  calls  upon  him  to  renew  the  ac- 
quaintance of  many  years  ago.  As  a  reminder  of  the  days  when  he  was  a 
smart  feeling  young  lieutenant  and  sniffed  the  salty  air  of  the  Piscataquis 
Meadows  the  tell-tale  Sheriff's  docket  would  doubtless  please  the  Admiral 
mightily. 

The  story  here  related  is  pretty  strong  evidence  of  the  fact  that  Dewey 
was  a  positive  character.  He  did  not  sink  his  individuality  in  that  of  any 
one  else.  He  thought  for  himself,  acted  for  himself  and  when  the  time  came 
could  defend  himself  and  keep  all  intruders  off  from  his  own  preserves. 
Never  seeking  a  quarrel,  never  coveting  the  cheap  glory  of  being  a  fighter  and 
a  victor  over  inferior  youths,  he  yet  maintained  his  dignity  and  had  that 
sense  of  honor  which,  while  it  grants  respect  to  others,  expects  it  in  equal 
degree  for  itself. 


CHAPTER   III. 


Dewey's  Heroic  Exploits  in  the  Civil  War. 

ATRIOTISM  and  the  martial  spirit  have  never  been  wanting  in  the 
Dewey  family,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  authentic  account 
of  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  American  Revolution.  William  Dewey 
second,  Admiral  Dewey's  great-grandfather,  was  born  at  Lebanon, 
Connecticut,  January  u,  1745  (or  6),  and  married  in  1768  Rebecca  Carrier,  of 
Colchester,  Connecticut.  He  died  at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  June  10, 
1813.  His  wife  survived  him  until  July  6,  1837,  when  she  died  and  was  buried 
at  the  same  place.  He  served  as  a  corporal  in  Captain  Worthy  Waters'  com- 
pany from  the  town  of  Hebron,  Connecticut.  This  company 
of  minute  men  responded  to  the  Lexington  alarm,  April, 
1775,  and  hurried  to  the  scene  of  action. 

He  was  also  a  corporal  in  Colonel  Jonathan  Chase's 
regiment  of  militia  which  marched  from  Cornish,  New 
Hampshire,  September,  1777,  and  joined  the  Continental 
Army  under  General  Gates  near  Saratoga,  New  York.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  year  we  find  him  serving  in  Captain 
Samuel  Payne's  company.  This  information  is  taken  from 
the  records  in  the  Adjutant's  Ge neral's  office  in  Montpelier, 
Vermont,  and  consequently  is  authentic  and  reliable.  He 
was  the  father  of  fourteen  children,  the  second  of  whom  was  Captain  Simeon, 
Admiral  Dewey's  grandfather. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  young 
Dewey  was  ordered  to  the  steam  frigate  Wabash,  which  cruised  with  the 
Mediterranean  Squadron  until  1859,  when  ^e  returned  to  Annapolis  to  receive 
his  final  examination.  George  Dewey  got  his  first  commission  on  April  18, 
1 86 1.  He  was  made  lieutenant,  and  from  1861  to  1863  served  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, which  was  a  steam  sloop  of  the  West  Gulf  Squadron.  Here  again 
Dewey's  luck  was  with  him.  Had  he  been  graduated  at  any  other  time  he 
Ijwould  not  have  seen  so  much  service,  but  that  time  was  full  of  promise  for 
the  army  and  navy. 

When  he  left  Annapolis  in  1858  there  were  rumors  of  war  drifting  over 
the  country  from  his  little  home  in  Vermont  to  that  small  station  on  the  Gulf 
called  Pensacola.    Politicians  and  statesmen  were  bitterly  talking  in  Washing- 
84 


DEWEY  CREST. 

"TO  THE  VICTOR  BE- 
LONGS THE  CROWN." 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR.        35 

ton,  vigorous  and  virulent  pamphlets  were  being  written  all  over  the  country 
by  every  man  who  could  handle  a  trenchant  pen. 

His  two  years  as  ensign,  from  '58  to  '60,  had  been  spent  among  the  hopes 
and  fears  of  every  man  in  the  navy  that  war  would  be  declared  and  that  the 
American  warships  would  be  allowed  to  use  their  guns  for  the  first  time  since 
the  institution  of  the  modern  American  navy.  Young  Dewey  was  not  less 
hopeful  than  dozens  of  other  young  officers  that  he  would  have  a  chance  to 
fight.  It  is  the  spirit  of  war  that  has  gone  through  all  of  the  young  men  of 
the  country. 

When  the  gun  was  fired  from  South  Carolina  across  the  harbor  of 
Charleston  every  young  man  and  every  old  man  in  the  navy  knew  that  the 
time  of  their  lives  had  probably  come.  Too  bitter  had  been  the  feeling,  too 
strong  and  rankling  the  word  contest  to  have  any  one  feel  that  this  gun  was  a 
plaything  fired  in  caprice.  Each  man  believed  that  he  would  show  his  right 
to  be  an  admiral  before  the  States  were  in  union  again. 

Young  Dewey  got  his  chance  to  fight,  and  fight  well.  Probably  old 
Admiral  Farragut  gave  the  boy  some  good  lessons  in  those  days  in  the  sub- 
tropical waters  of  the  Gulf;  lessons  that  made  the  young  lieutenant  of  1861 
capable  of  being  an  admiral  himself  before  he  finished  his  career.  There  is 
no  telling  what  lessons  he  studied  under  Farragut's  flag,  what  dreams  he 
dreamed,  nor  what  hopes  he  cherished  under  his  shy,  reserved  nature. 

Farragut's  Mantle  Fell  on  Dewey. 

It  may  be  that  these  forceful  days  of  action  under  the  hottest  of  Confeo 
erate  fire,  obeying  the  signals  of  the  greatest  naval  commander  America  ft 
produced,  fortified  him  thoroughly  with  knowledge  and  experience  and  with 
courage,  and  that  when  his  great  opportunity  came  he  sailed  intc  Manila  bay 
with  all  the  strength   of  a   Farragut  and   with  all  the  quiet  of  the  gieat 
commander. 

In  order  to  understand  the  heroic  part  performed  by  Dewey  under  Ad- 
miral Farragut  (not  an  admiral  at  this  time),  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  a 
detailed  account  of  the  exploits  of  this  renowned  commander,  from  which  we 
may  learn  how  desperate  was  the  fighting  around  New  Orleans  and  how  brave 
were  our  gallant  sailors  who  carried  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  victory. 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  our  Civil  War  the  attention  of  the  National 
Government  had  been  directed  to  New  Orleans ;  and  it  was  felt  that  so  long 
as  the  city  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  Confederates  there  could  be  no 
free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  the  key-position  ;  and  whoever  was 
strong  enough  to  hold  that  position  was  master  of  the  great  valley.  In  the 
autumn  of  1861  it  was  resolved  not  to  wait  until  the  military  combinations 


36        DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

had  forced  a  passage  down  the  river,  but  to  send  a  naval  expedition,  which, 
€tted  out  in  the  Atlantic  ports,  should  move  up  from  the  gulf.  The  command 
rf  this  expedition  was  assigned  to  Captain  David  G.  Farragut,  a  Tennessean 
by  birth,  and  an  officer  who  had  seen  service  and  done  good  work  both  in 
the  Mexican  campaign  and  in  the  naval  operations  of  1812.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  early  in  1862  that  this  expedition  showed  any  signs  of  vitality.  By 
that  time  Stanton  had  succeeded  Cameron  as  head  of  the  War  Department ; 
and  the  energy  of  the  new  chief  was  making  itself  everywhere  felt. 

On  the  2d  of  February  Farragut  sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  in  the 
armored  steamer  Hartford.  Having  been  detained  by  sickness  at  Key  West, 
he  did  not  reach  Ship  Island,  his  point  of  destination,  until  the  2Oth  of  the 
same  month.  Farragut's  instructions  were  of  the  most  positive  kind.  He 
was  to  proceed  with  all  possible  dispatch  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  assume 
command  of  the  western  gulf  squadron,  relieving  Flag-officer  McKean.  The 
gulf  squadron,  which  was  employed  in  enforcing  the  blockade,  was  to  be  con- 
siderably strengthened ;  and  in  addition,  there  was  to  be  attached  to  the 
squadron  a  powerful  bomb  flotilla,  under  Commander  David  Porter. 

Plans  to  Capture  New  Orleans. 

With  these  mortar  vessels,  as  soon  as  they  were  ready,  and  with  such 
others  as  might  be  spared  from  the  blockade,  he  was  to  reduce  the  defenses 
which  guarded  the  approaches  to  New  Orleans,  take  possession  of  that  city, 
under  the  guns  of  the  squadron,  and  hold  it  until  troops  should  be  sent  to  his 
aid.  If  the  expedition  from  Cairo  should  not  yet  have  got  down  the  river  so 
far,,  he  was  to  push  a  strong  force  up  the  stream  past  the  city,  and  destroy 
the  defenses  in  the  rear.  Thus  instructed,  and  having  been  provided  with 
plans  of  th~  principal  works  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  Farragut  set  about  the 
accomplishiiient  of  his  task. 

Airangenients  had  been  made  to  back  up  the  efforts  of  the  fleet  by  a 
powerful  land  force.  An  army  of  eighteen  thousand  men  was  furnished  and 
placed  under  the  command  of  Major-General  Butler.  Farragut,  we  have 
seen,  arrived  at  Ship  Island  on  the  2Oth  of  February.  On  the  25th  of  the  same 
month,  General  Butler,  his  troops  on  board  five  transports,  sailed  from  Hamp- 
ton Roads.  Porter's  fleet  of  mortar  boats,  which  were  to  rendezvous  at  Key 
West,  arrived  in  due  time.  It  was  a  formidable  fleet.  Fitted  up  in  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  it  had  for  months  been  the  subject  of  not  a  little  specula- 
tion; afcd  it  was  generally  expected  that  with  such  instruments  Porter  and 
Farragut  would  be  able  to  do  some  effective  work.  There  were  in  all  twenty- 
one  vessels,  of  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  tons  each,  of  great 
strength,  and  constructed  so  as  to  draw  as  little  water  as  possible.  They 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR,         37 

were  armed  with  mortars  eight  and  a  half  tons  in  weight,  and  capable  of 
throwing  a  15-inch  shell.  Each  vessel  carried  also  a  32-pounder  rifled  can- 
non.  Before  the  middle  of  April  the  fleet  was  in  perfect  order ;  Butler,  too, 


ADMIRAL  DAVID  G.  FARRAGUT. 

had  arrived ;  and  all  necessary  preparations  had  been  made  for  a  combined 
movement  against  the  enemy. 

Strong  as  the  National  forces  now  undoubtedly  were,  Farragut  had  a 


38        DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR* 

task  on  hand  fitted  to  unnerve  the  strongest  arm  and  to  appall  the  stoutest 
heart.  New  Orleans  was  well  fortified ;  and  the  numerous  narrow  and,  in 
some  places,  shallow  outlets  by  which  the  Mississippi  seeks  the  sea,  make  its 
approaches  exceedingly  perilous  to  ships  of  heavy  tonnage.  These  outlets 
are  five  in  number,  and  are  named  respectively  Pass  a  1'Outre,  Northeast  Pass, 
Southeast  Pass,  South  Pass,  and  Southwest  Pass.  At  a  bend  about  thirty 
miles  up  the  river  there  were  two  powerful  forts — one  on  the  right  or  south 
bank,  Fort  Jackson,  and  the  other  on  the  left  or  north  bank,  Fort  St.  Philip,  i 
These  barred  the  approach  to  the  city  from  the  gulf;  and  the  Confederate? 
had  armed  them  with  more  than  one  hundred  guns  of  long  range  and 
large  calibre.  At  this  point  a  large  chain,  sustained  upon  eight  hulks,  was 
stretched  across  the  river.  Close  to  Fort  Jackson  there  was  a  formidable 
water-battery ;  and  under  the  guns  of  the  forts  there  was  a  fleet  of  thirteen 
gunboats,  a  powerful  ironclad  floating  battery,  called  the  Louisiana,  carrying 
sixteen  guns,  and  the  steam-ram  Manassas. 

Powerful  Batteries  and  Destructive  Pireships. 

In  addition  to  all  these  tremendous  war  appliances,  there  were  numerous 
rafts  and  fire-ship?.  Further  up  the  river  and  to  the  southwest  of  the  town, 
on  the  bayous  and  lakes,  there  were  elaborate  and  powerful  works,  which 
Beauregard  had  greatly  strengthened.  In  and  around  the  city  of  New 
Orleans  there  was  a  force  of  at  least  ten  thousand  men.  General  Twiggs,  of 
somewhat  questionable  reputation  as  a  soldier,  had  been  entrusted  by  the 
Confederates  with  the  defense  of  the  city.  His  position,  by  this  time,  how- 
ever, had  been  assumed  by  Mansfield  Lovell,  formerly  a  politician  and  office- 
holder in  New  York,  Lovell  had  for  his  assistant  General  Ruggles,  a  man 
of  ability  and  energy.  The  general  command  of  the  river  defenses  was  en- 
trusted to  General  J.  K.  Duncan,  another  New  York  office-holder,  Forts 
Jackson  and  St.  Philip  being  under  the  immediate  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Edward  Higgins.  Lovell  had  made  application  to  the  governor  of 
the  State  for  ten  thousand  men ;  but  such  had  been  the  drain  upon  the  army 
by  the  necessities  of  the  Border  States  that  not  more  than  three  thousand 
could  be  spared  him  as  a  reinforcement. 

As  it  was,  however,  it  was  not  wholly  without  reason  that  the  Confed- 
erate strength  around  New  Orleans  was  believed  by  some  to  be  sufficient  to 
"beat  off  any  navy  in  the  world."  "Our  only  fear,"  said  one  of  the  New 
Orleans  journals,  "  is  that  the  Northern  invaders  may  not  appear.  We  have 
made  such  extensive  preparations  to  receive  them  that  it  were  vexatious  if 
their  Evincible  armada  escapes  the  fate  we  have  in  store  for  it." 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR, 

If  Lieutenant  Dewey  had  read  these  boastings  they  would  not  have 
alarmed  him.  He  was  there  for  duty,  there  to  fight  when  the  time  came, 
\here  to  die  for  his  country  if  such  should  be  his  fate.  Under  Farragut  there 
was  snre  to  be  hot  work,  and  also  a  chance  for  a  young  officer  to  distinguish 
himself,  and  so  our  men  were  ready  and  eager  for  the  fray.  None  was  more  eagr: 
than  Dewey,  who  was  then  unknown  except  to  those  on.  board  his  own  ship. 

On  the  8th  of  April  the  national  fleet,  consisting  of  four  sloops-of-war 
seventeen  gunboats,  twenty-one  mortar  schooners,  and  two  sailing  vessels, 
but  having  no  ironclads,  had  been,  with  great  labor,  carried  over  the  bar. 
The  Brooklyn  had  been  dragged  through  the  mud  of  the  Southwest  Pass,. 
At  the  shallowest  part,  the  water  was  barely  fifteen  feet  deep,  the  mud  having 
(greatly  increased  in  the  channel  since  the  commencement  of  the  blockade. 
By  the  i/th  all  things  were  in  readiness  for  an  attack.  Not  only  were 
the  two  fleets  now  fully  in  the  river:  Butler,  with  his  troops,  was  at  the 
Southwest  Pass,  immediately  below,  ready  to  take  what  action  might  be 
necessary.  A  fire-raft,  which  came  sailing  down  the  river,  gave  the  Nationals 
an  idea  of  the  species  of  tactics  the  enemy  was  disposed  to  adopt.  On  the 
following  day  the  movement  began  in  earnest.  According  to  the  plan  agreed 
upon  at  Washington,  and  which  formed  part  of  the  instructions  given  to  Far- 
ragut, Porter  was  to  attempt  to  reduce  the  forts  by  his  mortars,  and  if  he 
failed,  Farragut  was  to  run  past  them  with  his  heavy  vessels.  In  the  event 
of  the  latter  course  being  attended  with  success,  Butler  was  to  land  his  troops 
in  the  rear  of  St.  Philip  and  carry  it  by  assault. 

The  Bombardment  Begins. 

The  south  bank  of  the  river  for  several  miles  below  Fort  Jackson  was 
thickly  wooded.  At  some  distance  below  the  bend,  and  in  order  to  enable 
the  guns  of  the  fort  to  sweep  the  river  and  prevent  the  vessels  from  ascending, 
a  large  opening  was  cut  through  the  wood.  It  was  impossible,  however,  to 
rob  the  Nationals  of  all  the  advantages  which  the  trees  afforded. 

Under  cover  of  the  woods,  fourteen  of  the  mortar  boats,  their  masts  and 
rigging  being  clothed  with  leafy  boughs,  to  make  them  indistinguishable  from 
trees,  moved  up  the  river  and  were  moored  at  desirable  points  without  being 
discovered.  The  remainder  of  Porter's  boats  were  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river ;  but  as  it  was  found  that  they  were  in  the  range  of  the  guns  of  the 
forts,  they,  too,  were  brought,  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  under  cover 
of  the  woods.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  the  bombardment  com- 
menced. The  first  shot  was  fired  from  Fort  Jackson.  Porter  was  ready 
to  reply;  the  mortar  vessels  opened  fire  immediately;  and  the  effect  was  ter- 
rific. 


\\ 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR.        41 

In  Fort  Jackson  the  barracks  were  set  on  fire  soon  after  the  bombard- 
ment opened.  The  guns  were  frequently  silenced,  the  men  being  terror- 
stricken  by  the  shells  which  were  exploding  all  around  them.  It  was 
observed  that  the  shells  were  bursting  in  the  air,  in  consequence  of  the  bad- 
ness of  the  fuses.  The  fuses  were,  therefore,  put  in  full  length,  to  delay  the 
explosion.  The  change  had  the  desired  effect.  The  shells,  penetrating  the 
earth  eighteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  then  exploding,  tearing  up  the  ground  and 
scattering  it  all  around,  had  the  effect  of  a  constantly  repeating  earthquake. 
The  firing  from  the  forts,  in  spite  of  all  this,  was  kept  up  with  great  energy, 
shot  and  shell  coming  crashing  through  the  woods  and  tearing  up  the  trees 
by  the  roots. 

During  the  first  twenty-four  hours  fifteen  hundred  bombs  must  have  been 
flung  by  Porter's  mortars,  the  enemy  replying  with  equal  spirit;  and  for  six 
weary  days  and  nights  this  terrible  work  went  on.  No  such  continued  and 
heavy  fighting  had  been  witnessed  since  the  days  of  Nelson.  At  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile  from  the  scene  of  action,  window  panes  were  broken  by  the 
concussion ;  and  fish,  stunned  by  the  dreadful  explosions,  were  floating  about 
on  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Determined  to  Run  Past  the  Ports. 

On  the  third  day  of  the  bombardment,  Farragut,  seeing  that  no  decisive 
results  were  likely  to  be  attained  unless  bolder  measures  were  adopted,  called 
a  council  and  announced  his  determination  to  cut  the  barricade,  run  the  gaunt- 
let of  the  forts,  and  pass  up  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans  in  spite  of  their  guns. 
Butler  was  at  hand,  with  at  least  ten  thousand  troops,  ready  to  land  and  assist 
in  the  capture  of  the  forts,  all  his  transports,  with  the  exception  of  the  Great 
Republic,  having  entered  the  Mississippi  on  the  i8th.  If  this  movement  was 
to  be  carried  out,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  remove  the  obstructions 
from  the  river.  On  the  night  of  the  2Oth,  therefore,  under  cover  of  the  dark- 
ness, a  fierce  north  wind  blowing  at  the  time,  Commander  Bell,  with  the  Pinola 
and  Itaska,  supported  by  the  Iroquois,  Kennebec  and  Winona,  ran  up  to  the 
boom. 

The  reason  why  Dewey's  ship  was  not  assigned  to  this  work  was  because 
of  her  being  a  side-wheeler,  and  therefore  less  easily  handled  and  not  so  well 
suited  to  the  undertaking  as  other  vessels. 

The  Pinola  attempted,  but  unsuccessfully,  to  blow  up  one  of  the  hulks, 
by  means  of  a  petard.  .  The  Itaska  was  lashed  to  the  hulk  adjoining.  A 
rocket  thrown  up  from  Fort  Jackson  revealed  her  presence,  and  a  heavy  fire 
was  immediately  opened  upon  her  from  the  fortress.  Nothing  daunted,  the 

kept  at  their  work ;  and  by  means  of  cold  chisels,  hammers,  sledges 


42        DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN   THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

saws,  the  chain  was  cut.  The  river  being  in  full  flood,  the  powerful  current 
swung  around  both  hulk  and  gunboat,  the  latter  being  grounded  in  the  mud 
in  shallow  water.  The  Pinola  came  promptly  to  the  rescue,  and  after  some 
difficulty  succeeded  in  carrying  her  consort  back  in  safety  to  the  fleet.  Some 
two  hours  afterwards  a  fire-raft  came  blazing  down  the  stream.  It  was  caught, 
however,  in  time,  and  rendered  harmless.  Meantime  the  firing  never  cease^ 
either  on  board  the  mortar-boats  or  in  the  forts ;  and  night  after  night  those 
blazing  fire-rafts  are  let  loose  on  their  errands  of  destruction.  There  were  nc 
signs  as  yet  that  the  forts  would  surrender.  One  thousand  shells  at  least  hac 
burst  within  Fort  Jackson  ;  twenty-five  thousand  had  been  hurled  against  it 
yet  General  Duncan  could  say:  "God  is  certainly  protecting  us.  WearestiL 
cheerful,  and  have  an  abiding  faith  in  our  ultimate  success." 

A  Night  Famous  In  History. 

The  arrangements  for  the  onward  movement  up  the  river  were  now  com- 
pleted. The  chain  was  broken  ;  and  Farragut  was  ready.  On  the  night  of 
the  23d  the  Itaska,  which  had  run  up  to  the  boom,  signalled  that  all  was  right 
— that  the  channel  was  clear,  with  the  exception  of  the  hulks,  which,  with 
care,  might  be  easily  passed.  The  fleet  had  been  arranged  in  three  divisions, 
under  Farragut,  Captain  Bell,  and  Captain  Theodorus  Bailey.  Six  gunboats 
were  to  engage  the  water-battery  below  Fort  Jackson,  but  were  not  to  pro- 
ceed further.  Farragut  had  charge  of  the  first  division,  which  consisted  of  the 
three  large  ships,  the  Hartford  (flagship),  the  Richmond  and  the  Brooklyn. 
This  division  was  to  keep  to  the  right  bank  of  the  river  and  fight  Fort  Jack- 
son. The  second  division  was  under  Bailey,  and  was  composed  of  the  Pensa- 
cola,  Mississippi,  Oneida,  Varuna,  Katahdin,  Kineo,  Wissahickon  and  Ports- 
mouth. This  division  was  to  keep  to  the  left  bank  and  fight  Fort  St.  Philip. 
The  third  division,  which  comprised  the  Scioto,  Winona,  Iroquois,  Pinola, 
Itaska  and  Kennebec,  was  under  Bell,  who  was  ordered  to  press  on  ne- 
glectful of  the  forts,  and  attack  the  Confederate  fleet  above.  At  one  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  24th  all  hands  were  called,  hammocks  stowed,  and 
everything  put  in  readiness  to  weigh  anchor  at  two  o'clock.  The  night  was 
dark,  and  a  heavy  fog  rested  upon  the  river. 

All  the  men  on  board  the  ships  were  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectation.  Our 
young  lieutenant  was  cool  and  courageous,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  among 
all  the  men  engaged  in  this  celebrated  battle  no  one  was  more  quick  to  obey 
orders,  or  more  active  in  the  duty  assigned  than  George  Dewey. 

At  two  o'clock  precisely  two  red  lights  were  hung  out.  They  were  the 
signal  for  going  into  action.  In  less  than  an  hour,  the  whole  fleet  was  under 
There  was  an  ominous  silence  at  the  forts,  as  if  they  were  fully  aware 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR.         43 

of  what  was  going  on,  and  were  preparing  to  give  the  fleet  a  warm  reception. 
Meanwhile  Porter's  boats  had  opened  a  terrific  fire,  literally  filling  the  air 
with  shells,  and  making  night  hideous  with  their  noise.  As  if  redoubling 
their  efforts,  the  men  kept  up  the  firing  with  unceasing  vigor  until  Farragut's 
vessels  were  all  fairly  in  the  heat  of  the  conflict.  The  waning  crescent  of 
the  moon  revealed  itself  just  as  Farragut,  struggling  with  the  fierce  current, 
safely  passed  the  broken  chain,  its  pale  light  blending  strangely  with  the 
fierce  glare  of  the  hissing  shells.  As  the  vessels  under  his  care  slowly  but 
steadily  approached  Fort  Jackson,  Farragut,  from  the  fore-rigging  of  the 
Hartford,  eagerly  watched,  with  the  help  of  his  night-glass,  the  movements 
of  Bailey  and  Bell. 

When  within  a  little  over  a  mile  of  Fort  Jackson,  the  guns  of  both  forts 
opened  upon  him  with  great  force  and  with  singular  precision  of  aim.  Far- 
ragut was  in  no  haste  to  reply,  although  the  Hartford  was  hit  several  times. 
Drawing  closer  and  closer,  and  waiting  fully  fifteen  minutes  after  the  first 
volley  had  been  aimed  at  him,  he  began  with  two  heavy  guns  which  he  had 
mounted  on  the  forecastle ;  and  then,  when  within  half  a  mile  of  Fort  Jack- 
son, and  having  that  work  fairly  within  range,  he  sheered  around  and  poured 
forth  such  broadsides  of  grape  and  canister  that  no  living  thing  could  stand 
before  them.  The  men  were  driven  from  the  barbette  guns,  and  the  wildest 
confusion  prevailed. 

The  Battle  Rages  with  Fury. 

The  firing  from  the  casemates  continued ;  and  the  conflict  raged  with 
tremendous  fury.  The  Richmond,  which  had  successfully  passed  the  barri- 
cade, soon  came  up  and  took  part  in  the  fight.  The  Brooklyn  had  been  less 
fortunate.  In  passing  through  the  opening  made  by  the  breaking  of  the 
chain,  she  became  entangled  with  one  of  the  hulks  ;  and  while  in  this  posi- 
tion she  was  exposed  at  once  to  the  fire  of  the  forts  and  to  attacks  from  the 
Confederate  ironclads.  Scarcely  was  the  Brooklyn  extricated  from  this  peril 
when  the  iron  ram  Manassas  came  down  upon  her  with  great  fury,  firing 
from  the  trap-door  a  heavy  bolt  at  the  Brooklyn's  steam  drum.  Happily  the 
shot  lodged  in  some  sand  bags  and  did  no  harm. 

The  next  moment  the  ram  butted  into  the  ship's  starboard ;  but  the  im- 
petus was  insufficient  to  make  any  impression  on  the  Brooklyn,  whose  sides 
were  bound  round  and  round  with  chain  armor.  As  the  Manassas  glided 
away  and  was  lost  in  the  darkness,  and  while  still  under  the  fire  of  Fort  Jack- 
son, the  Brooklyn  encountered  another  steamer.  The  struggle  with  this  one 
was  short  and  sharp.  One  hearty  broadside,  at  the  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty 
yards,  and  the  strange  vessel  was  no  more.  The  Brooklyn  was  then  abreast 


44        DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

of  Fort  St.  Philip,  and  her  guns  were  within  easy  range.  "  I  had  the  satis- 
faction," said  Captain  Craven,  in  his  report,  "  of  completely  silencing  that 
work  before  I  left  it,  my  men  in  the  tops  witnessing,  in  the  flashes  of  the  burst- 
ing shrapnel,  the  enemy  running  like  sheep  for  more  comfortable  quarters." 

Farragut,  meanwhile,  was  having  enough  to  do  on  board  the  Hartford. 
While  engaged  with  the  forts,  a  huge  fire-raft  was  pushed  against  him  by  the 
Manassas.  In  attempting  to  avoid  the  blazing  raft,  the  Hartford  ran  aground, 
and  in  a  moment,  the  incendiary  having  come  crashing  alongside  of  her,  the 
ship  was  in  flames  on  the  port  side  and  half  way  up  to  the  main  and  mizzen 
tops.  While  the  flames  raged,  the  Hartford  did  not  discontinue  her  cannon- 
ading. "  All  the  time,"  says  Farragut,  "  we  were  pouring  shells  into  the 
forts,  and  they  into  us,  and  now  and  then  a  rebel  steamer  would  get  under 
our  fire  and  receive  our  salutation  of  a  broadside."  The  flames  were  soon 
extinguished  ;  and  the  Hartford,  being  released,  sailed  up  the  stream.  Half 
an  hour  more  and  Farragut  had  successfully  passed  through  the  fiery  storm, 
having  done  his  work  effectually  as  he  moved  along. 

Between  the  Fire  of  Two  Forts. 

Bailey,  with  his  second  division,  had  had,  if  possible,  even  a  harder  ex- 
perience ;  but  his  success  was  scarcely  less  marked.  In  crossing  the  river 
obstructions  he  encountered  the  fire  of  both  forts ;  and  scarcely  had  he  passed 
through,  when,  owing  to  the  great  speed  of  the  Cayuga,  he  found  himself 
ahead  of  his  friends  and  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  Confederate  fleet.  His 
situation  was  one  of  extreme  peril.  The  Manassas,  the  floating  battery 
Louisiana,  and  at  least  sixteen  other  armed  vessels,  all  turned  upon  him,  and 
his  vessel  seemed  doomed.  The  swiftness  of  the  ship  came  to  his  aid,  and 
he  handled  her  with  exquisite  skill.  While  completely  successful  in  so  keep- 
ing out  of  the  way  of  the  Confederate  ironclads  that  they  could  neither  butt 
nor  board  him,  he  so  used  his  guns  that  he  compelled  three  of  them  to  sur- 
render before  any  aid  came  to  him. 

Meanwhile  the  Varuna,  Captain  Boggs,  and  the  Oneida,  Captain  Lee, 
came  up  and  engaged  the  enemy.  The  Cayuga  had  been  hit  forty-two  times, 
and  was  so  damaged  that  Bailey  deemed  it  prudent  to  retire.  The  Varuna 
was  the  next  object  of  attack.  Boggs  found  himself,  all  at  once,  after  passing 
the  forts,  as  he  said  in  his  report,  "  amid  a  nest  of  rebel  steamers."  The  brave 
captain  did  not  hesitate  as  to  what  he  should  do.  Rushing  at  once  into  the 
midst  of  them,  he  "  worked  both  his  sides,  loaded  with  grape,"  producing 
terrible  havoc  among  the  Confederate  ships,  which  were  strangely  over- 
crowded. "  An  explosion,  terrific  yells,  a  careen,  and  that  fellow  is  done  for." 
Such  is  the  language  of  an  eye-witness. 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR.        45 

And  so  the  fearful  work  goes  on,  until  the  Varuna  has  sunk,  one  after 
another,  six  of  the  enemy's  vessels.  Meanwhile  she  was  badly  hurt  herself. 
The  heavy  shot  of  the  ironclads  had  told  on  her  rigging  and  on  her  timbers, 
One  raking  discharge  from  one  of  them  had  killed  four  and  wounded  nine  of 
her  men.  Four  times  she  had  been  butted  by  the  powerful  rams  of  her  an- 
tagonists. The  last  time  she  was  struck  her  side  was  crushed  in  ;  but  before, 
the  ram  could  get  out  of  her  way,  she  put  through  her  unarmored  stern  five* 
8-inch  shells  "  that  settled  her,  and  she  went  ashore  in  flames."  In  fifteen 
minutes  after  she  was  struck,  the  Varuna  went  to  the  bottom ;  but  in  the) 
interval  she  had  settled  her  antagonist.  It  was  noble  fighting,  conducted  in 
the  true  spirit  of  the  sea  kings  of  ancient  times. 

Kept  Up  the  Fight  to  the  Last. 

The  Moore  was  the  last  vessel  which  the  Varuna  had  to  encounter.  Badly 
disabled  as  the  Varuna  was,  Boggs  kept  up  the  fight,  with  his  vessel  aground 
and  her  bow  tied  to  the  trees.  It  was  not  until  the  water  was  up  over  the 
gun-trucks  that  the  captain  gave  his  attention  to  the  saving  of  his  men. 
Happily  all  the  survivors,  including  the  wounded,  were  got  out  and  saved 
before  the  vessel  went  down.  At  the  last  moment  the  Oneida,  Captain  Lee, 
came  up  to  the  aid  of  the  sinking  Varuna.  Boggs  "  waved  him  on  "  after  the 
Moore,  which  was  in  flames,  but  trying  to  get  away.  In  a  little  while  the 
Moore  was  surrendered  to  the  Oneida  by  the  second  officer,  the  captain  hav- 
ing fled,  after  setting  the  vessel  on  fire.  But  for  her  timely  capture,  fifty  of 
her  men,  maimed  and  wounded,  must  have  perished  in  the  flames. 

Bell  had  been  less  fortunate  than  either  Farragut  or  Bailey  in  bringing 
his  ships  into  action  and  accomplishing  the  task  assigned  him.  The  Scioto, 
Iroquois,  and  Pinola  passed  the  forts ;  but  the  Itaska,  being  disabled,  drifted 
down  the  river.  The  Winona  recoiled  from  the  terrible  fire  which  had 
proved  fatal  to  her  companion.  The  Kennebec  got  entangled  in  attempting 
to  pass  the  obstructions,  and  finally,  having  lost  her  way  in  the  darkness,, 
returned  to  her  moorings. 

The  fight  was  now  ended.  It  had  been  as  brief  as  it  had  been  desperate.. 
It  was  little  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  since  the  fleet  had  left  its  moor- 
ings ;  and  in  that  brief  space  of  time  all  that  it  was  intended  to  do  had  been; 
successfully  accomplished.  The  forts  had  been  passed  and  the  Confederate 
navy  was  destroyed. 

Such  was  the  great  naval  battle  in  which  Dewey  received  his  first  bap- 
tism of  fire.  It  was  enough  to  try  his  nerves  and  tell  the  kind  of  stuff  of: 
which  he  was  made.  His  superiors  assert  that  no  one  on  that  notable  day- 
acted  his  part  more  heroically,  and  who  can  tell  but  the  lesson  taught  him  by 


DEWEY'S  HEROIC  EXPLOITS  IN   THE  CIVIL  WAR.        47 

our  old  iron  Admiral,  Farragut,  helped  him  to  win  at  Manila  the  superb  vic- 
tory with  which  his  name  will  hereafter  ever  be  associated?  Captain  H.  H, 
Bell,  captain  of  the  fleet,  reported  to  Farragut  of  the  fight : 

"  I  witnessed  the  decisive  manner  in  which  the  noble  old  steamship  Mis- 
sissippi, Commodore  Melancthon  Smith,  met  that  '  pigmy  monster/  the 
Manassas,  the  Confederate  armored  ram.  The  Mississippi  made  at  her,  but 
the  Manassas  sheered  ofT  to  avoid  the  collision  and  landed  on  the  shore, 
where  her  crew  escaped  over  the  roof,  the  Mississippi  pelting  her  meanwhile 
with  her  heavy  guns."  Commodore  Smith,  of  the  Mississippi,  reported  to 
Farragut,  referring  to  this  combat  "  in  terms  of  praise  to  the  conduct  of  all  the 
officers  and  men  "  under  his  command,  adding  that  "  all  the  vessels  under 
fire  did  their  utmost  to  subdue  the  enemy  and  destroy  his  defenses,"  and  that 
it  was  "  unnecessary  to  enter  into  any  further  details  of  the  exploits  performed 
by  the  Mississippi,  as  we  all  must  share  alike  in  the  honor  of  your  victory." 
But  the  commander  of  this  ship  made  a  special  mention — the  only  one  in  his 
report — in  these  words  : 

"  I  have  much  pleasure  in  mentioning  the  efficient  service  rendered  by 
Executive  Officer  George  Dewey,  who  kept  the  vessel  in  her  station  during 
the  engagement,  a  task  exceedingly  difficult  from  the  darkness  and  thick 
smoke,  that  enveloped  us  from  the  fire  of  our  own  vessels,  and  the  burning 
gunboats." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Officer  Dewey  distinguished  himself  on  this 
occasion  and  received  special  mention  and  praise  from  the  commander  of  the 
ship  to  which  he  was  attached.  He  showed  the  same  heroic  qualities  which 
afterward  made  him  conspicuous  as  a  naval  commander  and  which  were 
especially  exhibited  in  the  great  sea-fight  at  Manila. 

He  received  his  first  training  under  Admiral  Farragut,  and  certainly  he 
could  not  have  had  a  better  instructor  or  a  grander  example  to  follow. 


CHAPTER   iv. 
Thrilling  Incidents  of  Dewey's  First  Battle. 

MINUTE  account  of  the  part  performed  in  the  capture  of  Nevi 
Orleans  by  the  ship  on  which  Dewey  was  a  minor  officer,  will  be 
of  interest  to  the  reader.  The  general  character  and  thrilling  inci- 
dents of  the  battle  have  already  been  described,  but  other  transac- 
tions with  which  Dewey  was  closely  connected  will  portray  his  valor.  These 
should  be  here  described,  even  at  the  risk  of  traversing  some  of  the  ground 
surveyed  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

To  go  back  then  to  the  beginning,  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  on  Dewey 
was  in  Montpelier.  But  he  did  not  stay  there.  His  Yankee  blood  was  up. 
Just  one  week  later— April  19,  1861 — he  was  commissioned  lieutenant  and 
was  assigned  at  once  to  the  steam  sloop  Mississippi,  which  was  to  take  part  in 
the  fierce  fighting  of  the  West  Gulf  squadron. 

Ship  on  which  He  Fought. 

The  sloop  of  war  Mississippi  was  a  side-wheel  steamer  of  seventeen 
guns.  Her  commander  was  Melancthon  Smith.  The  Western  Gulf  blockad- 
ing squadron  was  under  command  of  Captain  David  G.  Farragut,  and  the 
vessels  that  assembled  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  March,  1862, 
consisted  of  four  new  sloops,  the  Hartford,  Pensacola,  Brooklyn  and  Rich- 
mond; one  side-wheel  steamer,  the  Mississippi;  three  screw  corvettes,  the 
Oneida,  Varuna  and  Iroquois,  and  nine  screw  gunboats,  the  Cayuga,  Itasca, 
Katahdin,  Kennebec,  Kineo,  Pinola,  Sciota,  Winona,  and  Wissahickon.  On 
April  7th  the  Pensacola  and  the  Mississippi,  after  several  attempts,  were 
dragged  through  the  mud  by  powerful  auxiliary  tugs  and  steamers  into  the 
mouth  of  the  great  river.  They  were  two  of  the  heaviest  vessels  that  had 
ever  entered  the  Mississippi. 

The  first  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  the  fleet  up  the  Mississippi  was  at 
Plaquemine  Bend,  ninety  miles  below  New  Orleans,  where,  on  the  banks  or 
the  river,  permanent  fortifications  existed,  the  one  on  the  left  called  Fort  St. 
Philip,  and  the  one  on  the  right  called  Fort  Jackson.  In  Fort  St.  Philip  were 
no  less  than  forty-two  guns  commanding  the  river,  besides  two  mortars  and 
a  battery  of  four  sea-coast  mortars,  situated  below  the  water  battery.  Fort 
Jackson  had  sixty-two  guns  and  a  water  battery.  But  these  guns,  although 
many  in  number,  were  small  in  calibre.  Out  of  100  guns  in  the  two  works, 
4* 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  49 

$6  of  them  were  24-pounders.     In  addition  to  the  forts  the  Confederates  had 
fourteen  vessels  and  a  steam  ram,  as  a  defense  fleet,  above  the  forts. 

Farragut's  fleet  moved  slowly  and  cautiously  up  the  river,  and  on  April 
1 8th,  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  bombardment  of  the  two  forts  began. 
Fort  St.  Philip  and  Fort  Jackson  replied  with  heavy  shot,  and  before  noon 
two  of  the  vessels  dropped  out  of  the  firing  line.  The  flotilla  continued  firing 
until  6  P.  M.,  when  they  ceased  by  signal.  On  the  following  day  the  signal 
was  renewed. 

The  bombardment  continued  for  three  days  without  noteworthy  incident*1, 
In  the  forts  the  quarters  were  burned  and  the  magazines  endangered.  The 
garrison  of  Fort  Jackson  were  compelled  to  live  in  the  casements,  which  were 
practically  flooded  from  the  high  state  of  the  river.  On  the  night  of  April  23d, 
the  vessels  of  Farragut's  squadron,  stripped  of  every  spare  rope  and  spar, 
formed  in  single  line.  At  2  o'clock  the  flagship  hoisted  the  signal  and  thi 
fleet  started  to  run  past  the  fort,  the  Cayuga  leading.  The  Pensacola  fol- 
lowed, with  the  Mississippi,  on  board  of  which  was  young  Lieutenant  Dewey, 
the  third  in  line.  Then  came  the  Oneida,  the  Varuna  and  the  others.  The 
Confederate  fire  commenced  as  the  Pensacola  passed  the  forts. 

Dewey 's  Ship  Struck  by  the  Confederate  Bam. 

The  Mississippi  followed,  and  as  the  old  side-wheeler  came  abreast  of 
Fort  St.  Philip  the  rebel  ram  Manassas,  coming  down  stream,  charged  at  her, 
striking  on  the  port  side  near  the  mizzen  mast,  at  the  same  time  firing  her 
single  gun.  The  jar  caused  the  ship  to  list  slightly,  and  the  blow,  a  glancing 
stroke,  only  inflicted  a  wound  seven  feet  long  and  four  inches  deep.  At  this 
point  the  current  of  the  river  caught  the  Mississippi  on  her  starboard  bow  and 
carried  her  across  to  the  Fort  Jackson  side  of  the  stream.  Abreast  of  St. 
Philip  the  vessel  drew  so  close  to  shore  that  the  gunners  on  land,  and  those 
afloat,  cursed  each  other  as  they  looked.  At  daybreak  the  Union  fleet 
anchored  five  miles  above  the  forts,  and  early  the  next  morning  proceeded  up 
the  river. 

The  fleet  attack  on  the  river  forts,  called  the  battle  of  New  Orleans, 
practically  decided  the  fate  of  that  city.  On  April  25th  the  fleet  anchored 
opposite  the  city,  where  the  levees  were  ablaze  and  ships  on  fire,  and  every- 
thing ashore  was  in  utter  confusion.  Marines  were  sent  ashore  and  the 
public  buildings  guarded  until  the  arrival  of  General  Butler  on  May  1st. 
Port  Hudson  was  at  a  bend  in  the  river,  where  there  were  bluffs  a  hundred 
feet  high.  The  Confederates  had  mounted  nineteen  heavy  guns  on  the  east 
bank.  On  the  opposite  shore,  just  below  the  bend,  a  dangerous  shore  was 
located. 
4-D 


50 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE. 


Commander  Farragut's  purpose  in  moving  on  Port  Hudson  was  simply 
to  pass  the  bluff  batteries,  in  order  to  blockade  the  river  above  the  bend.  He 
had  with  him  the  flagship  Hartford,  the  Monongahela,  the  Mississippi,  the 
Richmond,  Genesee,  Albatross  and  Kineo.  It  was  10  o'clock  at  night,  March 
14,  1863,  that  the  signal  to  advance  was  given,  and  the  ships  weighed  anchor 
in  the  following  order :  Hartford,  Richmond,  Monongahela,  Mississippi,  with 
the  smaller  boats,  the  Albatross,  Kineo  and  Genesee  accompanying  the  first 
three  vessels  named. 


PORT  HUDSON. 

The  Hartford  and  the  Albatross  led  the  way,  were  attacked  with  loss  of 
life  and  put  back.  The  Richmond  and  her  consort,  the  Genesee,  met  with  no 
better  success,  and  after  being  damaged  were  compelled  to  turn  down  stream, 
with  three  killed  and  fifteen  wounded.  The  Monongahela  and  the  Kineo 
came  next,  the  last  being  injured  and  turning  about,  while  the  Monongahela 
went  aground,  finally  getting  free,  drifting  down  stream,  with  a  loss  of  six. 
killed  and  twenty-one  wounded.  Then  came  the  Mississippi,  steaming  ahead 
to  meet  a  worse  fate,  while  Lieutenant  George  Dewey,  with  the  others  of  her 
crew,  were  to  fight  not  only  for  their  flag  and  their  country,  but  for  their  lives 
in  the  muddy  waters  of  the  river  of  rivers. 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  51 

It  is  rather  a  coincidence  that  young  Dewey  should  have  been  commis* 
sioned  to  go  with  Farragut,  to  sail  by  the  Admiral's  flag  in  the  most  strategic 
warfare  that  America  had  ever  had  on  sea,  and  that  this  same  Dewey  should  be 
the  next  admiral  in  the  United  States  Navy  after  Farragut,  after  a  lapse  of 
nearly  thirty-five  years.  The  great  old  Admiral  could  never  have  wished  to 
see  the  signs  and  symbols  fall  upon  a  worthier  head  than  George  Dewey's. 
His  is  the  quiet,  commanding,  superbly  courageous  temperament  that  Far- 
ragut admired. 

Every  one  knows  the  story  of  a  lieutenant's  signal  to  Farragut  on  the 
flagship  :  "  There  are  torpedoes  ahead ;  we  can't  get  in  the  harbor,"  and 
Farragut's  terse  reply  when  he  damned  the  torpedoes  and  sailed  calmly  over 
them.  So  his  spirit  must  have  been  delighted  when  looking  down  upon  his 
first  successor  and  his  old  pupil,  he  saw  the  smile  on  Dewey's  face  as  the 
Spanish  mines  exploded  on  every  side  of  the  Olympia  :  "  So,"  said  the  Com- 
modore, "  they  have  some  pretty  good  mines  after  all,"  and  kept  the  Olympia 
on  her  course. 

No  man  who  fought  with  Farragut  had  to  wait  until  the  Spanish  war  to 
have  known  all  that  was  worst  and  horrible  in  fighting. 

Officer  Dewey  in  the  Storm  of  Battle. 

Fearful  as  the  fire  from  the  shore  batteries  of  Manila  was,  George  Dewey 
had  received  a  worse  baptism  when  he  tried  to  run  up  the  Mississippi  River 
under  Farragut  in  1862,  forcing  the  harbor  of  New  Orleans.  No  man  who 
went  through  that  day  could  ever  live  to  see  a  worse  day  until  his  death. 
Every  one  knows  what  Farragut  did  when  he  tried  to  force  a  passage  up  the 
great  river  that  second  year  of  the  war.  Whatever  the  Confederates  had 
done  in  the  way  of  fierce  fighting  they  did  then. 

In  1862  Dewey  had  his  first  test  of  Spanish  strategy  and  Spanish  fire, 
for  the  Creoles  of  New  Orleans  were  a  graft  of  the  same  people  he  fought  on 
May  ist,  1898. 

In  the  battle  of  Manila  Dewey  fired  his  shells  at  a  4OOO-yard  line  from 
the  Spanish  fleet  and  the  foes  could  be  well  distinguished  with  a  field  glass, 
but  on  that  day  in  1862  as  Dewey's  ship,  the  Mississippi,  was  passing  Fort 
Philip,  it  was  subjected  to  such  a  raking  fire  from  the  Confederate  artillery  at 
such  close  range  that  the  veterans  tell  to-day  how  men  on  board  the  ships 
and  those  in  the  forts  kept  up  a  running  fire  of  cursing  compliments  to  each 
other,  which  was  entirely  audible  to  every  one  on  the  river  and  on  the  land. 

One  year  later  Dewey  received  his  first  recognition  for  individual  ki avery  , 
The  Mississippi,  his  boat,  was  trying  to  pass  Fort  Hudson  on  the  rive*  in  the 
middle  of  the  night.  Such  was  Farragut's  orders  that  all  lights  were  extin 


52  DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE. 

guished,  and  the  desire  was  to  slip  by  so  that  the  enemy  would  not  even 
know  of  the  presence  of  the  boat. 

Dewey  gave  an  order  on  this  night  which  showed  his  strategy  and  fore- 
thought. He  made  the  men  whitewash  the  decks  of  the  ship,  so  the  gunners 
would  be  able  to  see  without  lights  should  the  land  batteries  open  up  on  the 
sloop.  The  Confederates  never  slept,  and  the  Mississippi  was  discovered 
very  quickly.  She  was  riddled  with  shot  from  the  fort  and  she  soon  caught  fire. 

Yet  there  was  no  lack  of  bravery  on  the  Federal  side ;  rather  was  there 
a  desperate  valor  displayed  by  the  men  on  board  the  Mississippi,  such  as 
might  be  expected  from  sailors  commanded  by  officers  of  the  Dewey  type. 
His  act  of  ordering  the  decks  of  his  vessel  whitewashed  had  a  suggestion  of 
the  Yankee  about  it,  the  act  of  a  young  officer  who  had  his  wits  about  him 
and  was  watching  every  opportunity  to  thwart  and  defeat  the  enemy. 

Great  Tact  and  Resources. 

That  Dewey  showed  on  this  occasion  the  qualities  that  afterward  distin- 
guished him  is  plain  to  every  reader  of  the  thrilling  story.  If  his  ship  were 
lighted  up  it  would  instantly  become  a  mark  for  the  batteries  on  shore,  yet 
the  sailors  could  not  work  in  darkness.  It  was  a  happy  project  to  whiten  the 
decks  of  the  ship  in  order  by  the  reflection  of  the  white  surface  to  aid  the 
men  who  were  making  such  heroic  efforts  to  escape  the  shells  of  the  foe. 

Other  things  being  equal,  the  man  who  can  think  best  and  quickest  in 
the  hour  of  danger,  meeting  every  emergency  with  consummate  strategy,  is 
the  one  who  will  wrest  victory  from  even  apparent  defeat.  Dewey  has  shown 
that  he  has  no  superior  in  tact  and  in  ability  to  meet  every  crisis  presenting 
itself.  His  ready  resources  were  conspicuously  displayed  at  Manila,  when  he 
gave  his  orders  with  the  utmost  coolness  and  deliberation,  meeting  every 
new  crisis  in  the  battle  with  the  genius  of  a  master. 

Some  historians  say  the  Confederates  sent  out  floating  drifts  of  kerosene- 
soaked  wood,  so  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  sloop  to  get  out  of  their  way 
and  she  caught  fire.  Others  say  that  in  half  an  hour  250  shots  had  struck 
the  ship,  and  her  crew,  seeing  that  they  had  to  abandon  her,  fired  her  before 
dropping  over  the  sides.  Whichever  it  was,  the  Mississippi  was  riddled  and 
burning,  and  worst  of  all  ran  aground. 

Orders  were  given  to  officers  and  men  to  leave  as  quickly  as  possible 
and  make  their  way  to  the  opposite  shore,  hoping  for  protection  from  the 
enemy's  shells  by  the  burning  ship.  Orders  to  leave  were  imperative,  and 
every  man  knew  what  was  behind  the  haste,  that  it  would  be  only  a  few 
moments  before  the  flames  reached  the  magazine  of  the  Mississippi. 

Although  Dewey  was  only  lieutenant  he  was  the  last  man  to  leave  the 


DEWEY'S   FIRST  BATTLE.  53 

ship.  He  stood  there  quietly,  helping  every  one  else  to  leave,  waiting  till 
every  person  was  off  before  he  dropped  into  the  water  and  swam  across, 
This  was  bravery,  but  it  was  duty;  this  was  supreme  courage,  but  it  is  what 
the  world  always  expects  of  the  men  in  the  army  and  navy.  Fine  as  this  was 
it  was  not  the  reason  for  his  promotion.  The  reason  was  this :  as  each  one 
of  the  crew  jumped  overboard  on  the  dark  side  to  swim  to  shore  the  explo- 
sion of  the  unintermittent  shells  made  every  movement  dangerous. 

The  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  which  is  at  the  best  a  treacherous  river, 
were  being  fairly  churned  into  fountains  of  foam  by  the  shot  and  shell,  and 
the  exploding  hot  metal  was  running  into  the  water  at  every  seeming  inch  of 
space.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  a  sailor  who  jumped  overboard  was  struck* 
He  was  too  wounded  to  catch  his  swimming  pace  as  he  struck  the  water. 
Lieutenant  Dewey  saw  this  incident  in  all  the  darkness  and  fearful  noise,  and 
without  hesitation  he  jumped  overboard,  put  his  arm  around  the  wounded 
sailor,  held  him  until  he  got  his  strength  again,  and  helped  him  into  shallow 
water.  Then  he  went  back  to  his  ship  and  remained  there  until  every  man 
had  left.  This  was  an  action  after  Farragut's  heart,  and  the  admiral  instantly 
mentioned  him  for  promotion.  Dewey  was  hardly  out  of  swimming  reach  ot 
the  ship  when  the  magazine  exploded. 

Last  to  Leave  the  Burning  Ship. 

Admiral  Porter,  in  his  "  Naval  History  of  the  Civil  War,"  thus  describes 
the  end  of  the  old  side-wheeler  Mississippi : 

"  Captain  Smith  gave  the  order  to  spike  the  port  battery  and  throw  the 
guns  overboard,  but  it  was  not  done,  for  the  enemy's  fire  was  becoming  so 
rapid  and  severe  that  the  captain  deemed  it  judicious  to  abandon  the  ship  at 
once  in  order  to  save  the  lives  of  the  men.  The  ship  was  first  set  on  fire  in 
the  forward  store-room,  but  three  shots  came  through  below  her  water-line 
and  put  out  the  flames.  She  was  then  set  on  fire  in  four  places  aft,  and  when 
the  flames  were  well  under  way,  so  as  to  make  her  destruction  certain,  Cap- 
tain Smith  and  his  first  lieutenant,  George  Dewey,  left  the  ship,  all  the 
officers  and  crew  having  been  landed  before." 

A  marine  on  the  ill-fated  Mississippi  relates  the  following  story  of  the 
disaster : 

"  The  crew  were  told  to  save  themselves.  Lieutenant  Dewey  could  have 
escaped  easily,  as  he  was  a  bold,  powerful  swimmer,  but  he  was  too  unselfish 
to  think  of  himself  so  long  as  any  of  his  comrades  were  in  danger.  Not  far 
from  him  he  spied  a  seaman  who  was  trying  his  best  to  keep  above  water 
after  his  right  arm  had  been  paralyzed  by  a  bullet,  Dewey  struck  right  out 


54  DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE. 

/or  him  and   gave   him  a  lift  till  they  reached  a  floating    spar.     Then  the 
wounded  man  was  towed  ashore  in  safety." 

The  year  of  1863  was  not  to  be  ended  without  another  great  fight,  for 
Dewey  was  on  one  of  the  gunboats  at  the  engagement  at  Donaldsonville. 
There  he  learned  some  lessons  in  fighting  strategy  again.  In  1864  and  1865 
he  was  in  command  of  the  Agawam  and  was  in  the  battle  at  Fort  Fisher. 
In  March,  1865,  the  administration  sent  him  the  commission  of  lieutenant- 
commander.  Although  Lieutenant  Dewey  was  perfectly  willing  to  risk  his' 
life  for  a  sailor  he  was  equally  willing  to  punish  him  when  he  deserved  it. 

It  is  nothing  against  Dewey  that  there  is  some  iron  in  his  composition, 
and  he  is  the  last  man  to  be  imposed  upon.  There  are  men  who  are  very 
polite  and  gentlemanly  always,  and  you  see  only  the  mild  side  of  their  char- 
acters until  there  is  something  to  awaken  their  spirit  and  arouse  their  sterner 
qualities.  All  accounts  agree  that  Dewey  knows  how  to  put  his  foot  down 
with  a  ton's  force  when  occasion  demands  it.  What  would  any  other  sort  of 
man  be  fit  for  in  the  United  States  navy  ?  There  must  be  order,  which  is 
Heaven's  first  law ;  there  must  be  discipline,  which  is  the  making  of  a  soldier. 
No  weak  Dewey  could  have  commanded  that  Asiatic  squadron  of  ours. 

And  what  he  was  on  the  day  of  his  great  victory  was  but  an  expansion 
and  development  of  what  he  was  when  he  went  forth  at  the  call  of  his  country 
during  the  Civil  War.  It  is  pleasant  to  look  back  and  take  his  picture  in 
those  early  days.  He  submitted  to  the  most  rigid  discipline  without  com- 
plaint; he  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the  most  difficult  duties  without 
seeking  to  escape  the  labor  and  responsibility  involved ;  he  was  ready  for  the 
most  heroic  sacrifice. 

Dewey  Engaged  in  Patrol  Service. 

After  the  loss  of  the  Mississippi  Lieutenant  Dewey  was  transferred  to 
one  of  the  smaller  gunboats  in  Admiral  Farragut's  squadron,  which  patrolled 
the  river  from  Cairo  to  Vicksburg  during  May  and  June.  Vicksburg  surren- 
dered July  4,  1863,  and  the  Mississippi  was  open  from  Cairo  to  the  Gulf. 
Admiral  Porter  was  given  command  of  the  river  down  to  New  Orleans,  while 
Farragut  was  ordered  to  confine  himself  to  the  coast  blockade.  Early  in 
1864  Lieutenant  Dewey  was  transferred  to  the  North  Atlantic  blockading 
squadron,  and  assigned  to  the  gunboat  Agawam,  an  unarmored  side-wheel 
steamer  of  974  tons,  carrying  eight  guns.  Dewey  was  made  executive  officer 
of  the  vessel. 

While  attached  to  the  North  Atlantic  squadron  Lieutenant  Dewey  par- 
ticipated in  the  famous  attack  on  Fort  Fisher.  It  was  on  December  1 8th  that 
the  largest  fleet  that  had  ever  sailed  under  the  Union  flag  proceeded  to  rendez- 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  55 

vous  twenty-five  miles  east  of  Fort  Fisher.  The  fleet  moved  on  December 
23d,  and  engaged  the  forts.  On  the  second  day  of  the  bombardment  the 
majority  of  the  vessels  withdrew  to  Beaufort  for  ammunition  and  coal.  The 
attack  was  renewed  on  January  12,  1865,  and  continued  for  several  days.  The 
final  assault  was  made  on  January  I5th  both  by  land  and  sea,  the  success 
of  the  battle  being  one  of  the  well-known  Union  victories  of  the  Civil 
War. 

On  March  3,  1865,  Lieutenant  Dewey  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant commander,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  famous  old  sloop  Kear- 
sarge,  which  carried  seven  guns.  Lieutenant-Commander  Dewey  was  ordered 
home  from  the  European  station  early  in  1867,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  at 
the  Kittery  Navy  Yard  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

While  in  Portsmouth  he  first  met  the  young  woman  who  captured  his 
heart,  and  whom  he  married  October  24,  1867.  She  was  Miss  Susan  B. 
Goodwin,  a  daughter  of  Ichabod  Goodwin,  the  war  Governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  known  far  and  wide  as  "  Fighting  Governor  Goodwin." 

Promoted  to  the  Bank  of  Commander. 

Shortly  after  their  marriage  Dewey  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis.  Two  years  later  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Narragansett,  and,  on  April  13,  1872,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  com- 
mander. Then  came  the  great  sorrow  of  the  young  officer's  career.  The 
young  wife  was  spending  a  summer  in  Newport  and  preparations  were  being 
made  for  an  event  which  it  was  hoped  would  crown  with  joy  their  wedded  life. 
A  son  was  born  December  23d,  but  some  days  later,  on  December  28th,  the 
mother  died.  The  boy  was  christened  George  Goodwin,  in  honor  of  his  proud 
grandfather,  and  grew  to  vigorous  rranhood.  The  death  of  his  wife  was  a 
sad  blow  to  the  brave  young  commander,  and  his  sister  is  the  authority  for 
the  statement  that  he  felt  as  if  in  no  little  measure  his  career  had  ended  at  the 
grave  of  his  wife. 

Early  in  1873  he  sailed  as  commander  of  the  Narragansett  for  the  Pacific 
coast,  where  he  was  engaged  in  making  surveys  until  1876.  Then  he  was 
recalled  to  Washington  to  be  made  a  lighthouse  inspector,  and  later  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Lighthouse  Board.  He  commanded  the  Juniata  in  the  Asiatic 
station  in  1882-83,  and  on  the  27th  of  September,  1884,  was  made  a  captain 
and  put  in  charge  of  the  Dolphin,  then  one  of  the  four  new  vessels  which 
formed  the  original  "  white  squadron." 

From  1865,  after  General  Lee's  surrender,  Lieutenant  Dewey 's  life  was 
after  the  conventional  pattern  of  all  navy  officers.  He  rose  by  degrees,  but 
had  one  or  two  pleasant  assignments  which  kept  his  nickname  a- '/'The 


66  DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE. 

Lucky  "  before  his  associates'  minds.  From  1 865  he  served  on  the  Kearsarge 
and  Colorado  as  lieutenant-commander. 

W.  W.  Stone,  who  was  ship's  writer  on  board  the  cruiser  Colorado  when 
Admiral  Dewey  and  Commodore  Watson  were  lieutenant-commanders  on 
that  vessel,  can  tell  many  stories  about  those  two  celebrities.  Admiral  Golds- 
borough  was  in  command  of  the  Colorado.  His  valet,  John,  who  at  one 
time  was  President  Lincoln's  servant,  was  a  witty  but  bungling  Irishman. 
Stone's  best  story  centres  around  this  quaint  character. 

One  morning  Admiral  Goldsborough  sent  down  word  to  John  that  he 
wanted  his  glass,  meaning,  of  course,  his  spyglass.  John,  as  usual,  however, 
misunderstood,  and  came  tramping  up  the  bridge  with  a  goblet  in  his  hand. 

"  John,  you're  the  devil's  own  valet,"  growled  the  admiral  when  he  saw 
him  coming. 

"  Faith,  sor,  I  didn't  think  I'd  come  to  that  same  whin  I  tuk  service  wid 
ye,  sor." 

"  Throw  that  blamed  goblet  overboard  and  go  and  get  me  my  spyglass, 
as  I  told  you,  you  infernal  idiot !  " 

"  Yes,  sor,"  said  John,  calmly  tossing  the  glass  over  the  side,  and  in 
doing  so  narrowly  escaped  dashing  it  upon  the  upturned  face  of  our  executive 
officer,  Lieutenant-Commander  George  Dewey.  Mr.  Dewey  was  on  a  tour  of 
inspection,  circling  the  frigate  in  one  of  the  cutters.  The  Colorado  had  just 
arrived  from  Trieste.  The  passage  down  the  Adriatic  Sea  had  been  a  stormy 
one,  and  the  painstaking  executive  wanted  to  see  for  himself  how  the  old  ship 
looked  after  her  battle  with  the  waves. 

"Go  below,  you  Blundering  Irishman." 

It  was  a  lovely  Spring  Sunday  morning.  We  had  dropped  anchor  in 
the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples,  and  I  had  crept  up  into  the  mizzen-top  to  drink 
in  with  boyish  zest  the  delights  of  our  glorious  surroundings.  Off  our  beams 
lay  Ischia  and  Capri,  standing  like  stern  Roman  sentinels,  on  guard  at  the 
horns  of  the  bay.  Ahead  lay  the  Campanila;  from  its  centre  rises  old 
Vesuvius,  from  whose  grim  apex  I  could  see  floating  upward  a  hazy  wreath 
significant  of  the  unrest  beneath.  I  watched  the  old  admiral  with  a  great 
deal  of  interest ;  had  I  been  a  kodak  fiend  I  should,  then  and  there,  have  for- 
feited my  appointment  by  taking  a  snapshot  at  the  irate  officer  as  he  glared  at 
the  sleek,  unconcerned  menial. 

"  Go  below,  you  blundering  Irishman,  before  I  have  you  tossed  over  after 
the  glass ! "  The  man  disappeared  with  just  the  suspicion  of  a  smirk  on  his 
innocent-looking  face. 

"  Mr.  Dewey  would  like  to  have  you  find  out,  sir,  who  is  heaving  r  rock- 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  57 

ery  over  the  side  of  the  ship,  sir."  This  came  from  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
cutter;  he  had  come  up  with  the  order  and  spoke  to  Lieutenant-Commander 
John  Crittenden  Watson,  at  the  time  officer  of  the  deck.  The  admiral  over- 
heard the  message  of  the  angry  executive  and  laughed  quietly. 

"Tell  Mr.  Dewey  that  it  was  the  admiral,  my  man,"  said  lie,  soberly; 
then  turning  to  Mr.  Watson  he  remarked  :  "  He  can't  very  well  put  the  admi- 
ral in  the  brig,  though  I  may  deserve  it." 

"  He  may  look  around  for  a  substitute,  admiral,"  answered  Mr.  Watson, 
smiling. 

"Oh,  no,  Dewey  has  too  keen  a  sense  of  justice;  besides,  I  remembei 
him  saying  once  that  he  had  no  use  for  substitutes." 

Dignity  Assailed  by  a  Tumbler. 

A  few  minutes  after  this  Mr.  Dewey  himself  came  over  the  starboard 
gangway,  saluting  the  admiral  with  rather  a  haughty  air.  You  see,  a  ten- 
pounder  may  spin  merrily  past  a  fellow's  head  aboard  a  man-o'-war,  and  serve 
merely  as  a  hook  on  which  to  hang  the  old-time  jest  about  a  "  miss  being  as 
good  as  a  mile,"  but  when  a  plain  matter-of-fact,  plebeian  tumbler  shoots  past 
you,  contrary  to  the  articles  of  war,  and  in  direct  violation  of  established 
naval  etiquette,  the  circumstance  that  you  have  escaped  mutilation  is  only  an 
excrescence  alongside  of  the  glaring  fact  that  your  dignity  has  been  very  vio- 
lently assaulted. 

The  admiral  looked  down  and  took  in  the  situation.  Descending  to  the 
quarterdeck  he  approached  Dewey  and  said  with  a  friendly  air :  "  I  say, 
Dewey,  did  you  ever  read  '  Handy  Andy  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,  sir,"  rather  shortly. 

"  Well,  now,  I  must  have  his  cousin  aboard ; "  and  the  admiral  related 
the  glass  incident.  The  two  laughed  over  the  blunder,  Mr.  Dewey  having 
recovered  his  usual  good  nature  by  this  time. 

"  You  see,  Dewey,  I  have  a  sort  of  interest  in  the  fellow ;  the  secretary 
recommended  him  to  me  as  a  good,  faithful  serving  man ;  he  had  been  attached 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  as  his  personal  attendant,  and  I  took  the  scamp  partly  on  that 
account.  Ah,  here  he  comes  at  last  with  my  glass.  John,  did  Mr.  Lincoln 
ever  score  you  for  your  awkwardness  ?  " 

"  No,  sor,  he  niver  did ;  many  the  time  he  tould  me  that  it  wor  a  mercy 
that  we  were  thegither,  because,  said  he,  his  mind  were  taken  off  affairs  of 
state  by  thinking  did  he  wurruk  harder  tellin'  me  how  to  do  things  than  if  he 
wint  and  did  them  himself." 

"  Doubtless,  doubtless,"  said  the  admiral,  laughing. 

f<  I  want  you  to  remember,  John,"  said  Mr.  Dewey,  severely,  "  t;hat  it  is 


58  DEWEY'S    FIRST   BATTLE. 

strictly  against  the  rules  of  this  ship  to  throw  anything  over  the  sides.  You 
came  very  near  striking  me  in  the  head  with  your  glass-tossing." 

"  That  were  a  pity,  sor." 

"  A  pity ! "  exclaimed  Dewey,  savagely,  "  by  Jim,  I'd  have  come  up  and 
had  you  strung  up  at  the  mainyard  arm,  like  a  dog." 

"  No,  sor,  axin'  yer  pardon,  I  hope  not." 

"What's  that?  "  roared  the  admiral,  angrily. 

"  Throth,  sor,  d'ye  mind,  the  mornin'  tellin'  me  that  ye  was  to  do  the 
thinkin'  an'  I  was  to  obey  orders,  even  if  I  bruk  owners  ?  " 

Another  Anecdote  of  Dewey. 

The  two  laughed  heartily  at  this  hit,  and  John  went  below  with  flying 
colors. 

"  I  was  with  Commodore  Dewey  when  he  was  the  executive  officer  of 
the  Colorado,"  said  a  financier,  "  and  I  remember  one  incident  which  shows 
the  manner  of  man  he  is.  We  had  a  fine  crew,  some  of  them  as  powerful 
men  as  I  ever  saw.  Four  or  five  of  them  went  ashore  one  day  and  came 
back  fighting  drunk. 

"  The  order  was  given  to  put  them  in  irons,  and  it  was  found  impossible 
to  carry  out  the  order,  for  the  men  were  dangerous.  Dewey  was  notified  of 
the  situation.  He  was  writing  a  letter  in  his  room  at  the  time. 

"  He  went  to  the  place  where  these  giants  were,  and  he  told  them  to 
tome  out  and  submit  to  the  irons.  They  did  not  stir.  Then  Dewey  said 
quietly  to  an  orderly:  'Bring  me  my  revolvers.'  And  when  he  had  his 
pistols  he  again  called  upon  the  men  to  come  out  and  they  did  not  move. 
Then  he  said:  '  I  am  going  to  count  three,  if  you  are  not  out  here  with  your 
hands  held  up  on  the  third  count  you  won't  come  out  of  that  place  alive/ 

"  He  counted  one,  then  he  cocked  the  revolvers,  and  counted  two.  We 
all  expected  to  Keer  the  report,  for  we  knew  that  Dewey  meant  what  he  said. 
The  men  kne*v  it,  too.  They  stepped  out  just  in  time  to  save  their  lives  and 
held  up  their  hands,  and  they  had  been  partially  sobered  by  their  fright  and 
the  moral  effect  of  Dewey's  glance. 

"  One  of  them  said  afterward  that  when  he  saw  Dewey's  eyes  he  knew 
that  he  would  either  be  a  dead  jackey  in  a  moment  or  he  would  have  to  yield, 
and  when  the  irons  were  put  upon  him  he  was  as  sooer  as  ne  ever  was  in  his 
life.  Dewey  went  back  to  his  room  and  finished  the  letter  he  was  writing." 

In  1867  he  was  attached  to  the  Naval  Academy  on  shore  duty,  which 
position  he  retained  until  1870.  He  was  then  transferred  to  the  Narragansett 
of  which  ship  he  had  charge  for  five  years.  During  that  time  he  rose  to  the 
position  of  commander. 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  5S 

In  1876  came  his  shore  duty  again,  and  he  was  attached  to  the  Light- 
house Board,  and  in  1882  he  went  on  sea  duty  in  the  Asiatic  Squadron  as 
commander  of  the  Juanita.  Other  commanders  envied  him  his  next  posi- 
tion, for  he  was  made  captain  of  the  Dolphin.  This  boat  was  the  first  vessel 
of  our  new  navy  and  was  built  in  1884  and  used  as  a  coast  dispatch  boat. 

He  only  remained  here  a  year,  however,  before  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Pensacola,  the  flagship  of  the  European  Squadron.  One  interesting  story  is 
told  of  him  while  in  command  of  that  vessel.  While  the  boat  was  at  Malta 
a  number  of  sailors  went  on  shore  and  engaged  in  a  street  brawl.  Ar  alarm 
was  turned  in,  but  the  navvies  succeeded  in  escaping  to  their  ships.  The 
next  morning  the  captain  of  the  port  came  out  to  the  Pensacola  to  complain 
to  Captain  Dewey  of  the  actions  of  his  sailors. 

"  What  can  I  do  ?  "  asked  Dewey. 

"  Why,  your  men  raised  a  riot  on  shore,  and  you  can  assist  me  in  arrest- 
ing and  punishing  them,"  was  the  reply. 

The  American  captain  was  very  courteous  in  the  expression  of  regret 
that  sailors  of  the  Pensacola  should  be  lawless  when  on  shore  leave,  but 
could  see  no  way  in  which  he  might  assist  his  visitor  in  searching  out  the 
guilty  ones.  The  reply  of  the  naval  officer  angered  the  redcoat,  who  said, 
somewhat  peremptorily :  "  You  certainly  can  parade  your  crew  before  me  in 
order  that  the  rioters  may  be  identified." 

Looking  aloft  and  pointing  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  waving  at  the  mast- 
head, Dewey  made  reply:  "  The  deck  of  this  vessel  is  United  States  territory, 
and  I'll  parade  my  men  for  no  foreigner  that  ever  drew  breath." 

Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Equipment. 

Dewey  remained  in  command  of  the  European  Squadron  until  1888, 
when  he  was  again  transferred  to  shore  duty.  His  first  assignment  was  as 
chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Equipment ;  then  he  served  on  the  Lighthouse  Board, 
and  then,  in  1896,  he  was  made  commodore.  Under  this  title  he  was  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  Inspection  Board.  Commodore  Dewey's  health  in  the 
summer  of  1897  was  not  very  good. 

It  was  never  of  the  best,  and  when  on  shore  duty  the  fearful  heat  of  this 
summer  prostrated  him.  He  was  fast  approaching  the  age  limit  for  active 
service  in  the  navy  and  was  getting  very  much  shattered  by  the  continued 
shore  duty,  as  his  presence  was  constantly  demanded  by  his  position  on  the 
Inspection  Board. 

"Just  take  one  more  cruise,"  urged  his  friends.  "The  limit  of  service 
will  soon  be  over,  and  if  you  take  one  more  cruise  in  healthful  waters  you 
may  recover  your  health  entirely."  That  Dewey  made  this  cruise  we  all 


60  DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE. 

know,  but  the  reasons  for  this  cruise,  the  methods  and  manner  of  getting  it 
are  very  interesting  stories  to  listes.  to  among  naval  circles  and  down  in 
Washington.  It  is  hard  to  tell  whicn  is  the  true  story,  but  every  one  has  a 
different  side  to  tell  why  Dewey  went  to  China.  Some  say  his  assignment  to 
the  Asiatic  squadron  was  for  the  reason  just  given,  that  his  health  was  very 
poor  and  his  time  limit  for  active  service  so  close  at  hand  that  four  years  on 
the  water  would  do  him  good. 

Others  say  that  Dewey's  position  was  wanted  by  other  men  in  the  ser- 
vice, who  were  thought  to  be  stronger,  more  determined  in  action,  more  bril- 
liant in  daring.  The  winter  of  1897-98  was  as  filled  with  rumors  of  war  as 
the  year  '60,  when  he  went  into  the  navy.  There  wasn't  a  commander  who 
did  not  think  that  the  bulk  of  the  war  would  lie  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and 
that  great  things  would  be  done  there  with  the  Atlantic  squadron. 

Dewey  was  very  high  in  command,  yet  he  was  sick  and  nearly  out  of 
the  service.  The  younger  ones  and  more  impetuous  ones  wanted  to  be  made 
commanders  and  admirals  themselves,  and,  so  it  is  said  that  out  of  all  the 
talking  and  prospecting  the  Navy  Department  was  prevailed  upon  to  send 
Commodore  Dewey  to  a  safe  and  far-away  spot,  where  his  few  ships  would 
be  out  of  danger's  way,  in  the  background  and  out  of  the  way  of  men  who 
wanted  to  succeed  him. 

Assigned  to  the  Asiatic  Squadron. 

These  are  rumors,  all  of  them,  but,  if  so,  it  is  a  delightful  trick  of  fate 
that  helped  Admiral  Dewey  to  win,  for  it  breaks  a  man's  heart  to  be  sent 
away  from  the  fire  line  in  time  of  war.  Roxane  was  full  of  subtle  knowledge 
when  she  persuaded  the  French  commander  to  leave  Cyrano  de  Begerac  in 
the  background,  when  the  others  went  to  war ;  but,  "  Man  proposes  and 
God  disposes,"  as  runs  the  old  proverb,  and  if  Dewey  was  sent  to  the  back- 
ground by  forethought,  his  was  an  admiral  victory  over  human  intelligence. 

There  is  another  story  which  has  more  likelihood  in  it  than  this  rumor, 
and  comes  with  higher  authority.  It  is  this:  Dewey's  assignment  to  the 
Asiatic  squadron  was  opposed  by  many  who  were  high  enough  to  keep  him 
on  shore  duty,  but  Senator  Redfield  Proctor,  who  was  a  life-long  friend  of 
Dewey's,  saw  to  it  that  the  commodore  got  the  cruise  which  his  health 
seemed  to  need  very  badly.  He  had  a  very  difficult  operation  performed  at 
this  time,  and  Senator  Proctor  so  presented  the  case  to  President  McKinley, 
and  made  of  it  so  personal  a  request,  that  the  administration  assigned  the 
commodore  to  the  squadron  then  at  Hong  Kong. 

During  his  life  in  Washington  Commodore  Dewey  lived  the  role  of  a 
man  of  the  world  and  of  affairs,  Being  a  widower  he  spent  much  of  his  timr 


DEWEY'S  FIRST  BATTLE.  61 

,it  the  club,  and  was  known  to  be  an  exquisite  in  dress  and  a  man  who  paid 
*he  greatest  attention  to  the  forms  and  rules  of  society.  His  grooming  was 
-9-0  perfect  that  his  friends  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Corps  always  referred  to 
him  good  naturedly  as  "  Dewey  the  Dude."  They  did  not  mean  for  a  mo- 
ment that  he  was  what  the  word  "  dude "  really  signifies  to  us,  for  with 
Anglo-Saxons  it  is  a  term  of  contempt.  He  did  not  dress  in  loud  clothes  or 
extreme  fashions,  but  he  always  looked  as  he  did  when  a  boy:  just  been 
unwrapped  from  tissue  paper. 

A  Social  Lion  in  Washington. 

He  went  out  socially  in  Washington  a  great  deal,  and  was  an  honored 
guest  at  the  most  exclusive  houses.  Not  only  his  rank  as  commander  in  the 
navy  entitled  him  to  the  first  invitations  of  the  capital,  but  added  to  this  dis- 
tinction he  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families  of  Vermont.  He  would 
have  had  the  most  exclusive  doors  of  society  opened  to  him  had  he  been  only 
a  plain  civilian.  He  was  a  member  of  the  fashionable  Metropolitan  Club; 
was  very  fond  of  horses,  a  splendid  whip,  and  loved  his  thoroughbreds  as 
some  men  love  their  children.  Whenever  they  had  arrived  at  the  age  limit 
of  active  service  he  mustered  them  out  with  honor,  and  gave  them  a  field  of 
clover  and  good  attention  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.  He  was  always  consid- 
ered a  man  of  the  world  by  those  who  knew  him,  and  it  was  only  through 
one  of  his  boyhood  friends  that  his  real  aversion'to  society  was  told. 

"  George  Dewey,"  said  this  man,  "  dislikes  society  in  its  ordinary  sense 
very  much.  I  have  known  him  ever  since  he  was  a  boy  in  knickerbockers^ 
Then  he  was  shy,  not  fond  of  the  girls  and  easily  embarrassed.  He  is  no; 
any  more  fond  of  the  women  to-day  as  a  man  than  he  was  of  the  girls  as  a 
young  boy,  nor  does  he  care  for  the  round  of  social  gayeties  any  more  than  he 
did  in  the  early  days  in  Montpelier,  when  wild  horses  could  not  drag  him  to 
a  dance,  church  festival,  or  any  merrymaking.  Yet  Dewey  has  gained  the 
reputation  of  being  a  great  social  man  because  one  sees  him  at  every  high 
social  function  in  Washington,  and  in  foreign  capitals.  He  goes  because  it 
is  his  idea  of  duty.  He  does  not  want  to  go  to  anything  social,  but  he  goes 
because  he  is  invited.  He  thinks  if  any  one  is  kind  enough  to  invite  him  it  is 
his  courtesy  to  respond  to  that  invitation  in  person.  He  has  the  highest 
sense  of  duty  of  any  man  I  ever  knew,  and  carries  it  into  the  smallest  details 
of  his  life. 

"  Where  other  men  who  are  more  used  to  society,  and  are  not  in  the  least 
shy,  say,  '  I  won't  go  to  this  or  that  or  the  other  thing,  because  it  is  too  slow,' 
or  '  I  don't  like  the  people/  or  '  There  is  no  fun  to  be  had  there,'  or  '  They  are 
not  worth  while/  Dewey  had  no  such  reasons.  He  simply  puts  on  his  dress 


62  DEWEY'S  FIRST   BATTLE. 

suit  and  goes.  He  may  stay  but  a  minute  or  he  may  stay  the  whole  evening 
if  he  finds  the  hostess  gives  him  the  wall  flowers  and  dowagers  to  take  care  of. 
He  always  got  along  with  the  older  women  because  they  did  not  expect  hin? 
to  talk  much. 

"  My  own  impression  is  that  Dewey  also  dislikes  as  much  as  the  rest  01 
us  to  be  continually  dressing  and  keeping  immaculate,  but  he  considers  it  his 
duty.  It  is  this  same  conception  of  his  social  obligations  which  leads  him  into 
the  reputation  he  has  gotten  in  Manila  of  going  everywhere  and  always  being 
perfectly  dressed,  even  in  the  heat  of  battle,  and  of  being  punctilious  in 
returning  and  paying  calls  due  to  his  position. 

"  A  man  who  is  not  shy  would  not  care  socially  whether  he  did  the  right 
thing  or  not.  He  would  do  it  under  certain  regulations,  but  he  would  take 
social  life  more  easily  and  ignore  it  when  he  stayed  at  home,  not  caring  what 
people  thought,  but  George  Dewey  is  sensitive  and  he  would  not  have  people 
think  him  rude  for  anything  in  the  world.  But  he  knew  how  to  cut  the  cable 
when  he  did  not  want  to  talk.  That  is  another  pretty  good  instance  of  Dew- 
ey's  character. 

"  I  doubt  very  much,"  concluded  his  friend,  "  if  he  said  twenty-five  words 
during  the  battle  of  Manila.  One  of  the  things  which  is  reported  of  him 
sounds  as  much  like  him  as  possible  ;  I  could  just  hear  him  saying  it.  It  was 
when  the  great  tumbling  shells  came  over  the  Olympia  and  the  men  on  the 
upper  deck,  those  who  were  nervous,  ducked  their  heads  as  the  roaring  things 
came  tumbling  through  the  air,  rebounding  from  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  Admiral  stood  erect  on  the  bridge,  never  moving  an  eyelash,  as  he  turned 
to  the  dodging  men  and  said,  with  a  smile :  '  Don't  dodge,  boys ;  they  can't 
hurt  you  after  they've  passed.' ' 

Ordered  to  Destroy  the  Spanish  Fleet. 

Commodore  Dewey  received  his  appointment  from  shore  duty  to  the 
Pacific  Squadron  in  January,  1898.  He  went  at  once  aboard  the  Olympia,  his 
flagship,  stationed  then  at  Hong  Kong,  China.  Only  a  few  weeks  after  this 
transferral  there  came  the  declaration  of  war  between  Spain  and  the  United 
States.  At  once  he  was  cabled  the  most  momentous  message  he  had  ever 
received.  It  was  from  Mr.  Long,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  read  :  "  Destroy 
or  capture  the  Spanish  fleet."  War  was  declared  on  Monday  ;  Dewey's  fleet 
sailed  from  the  Chinese  roadstead  for  Manila  on  Wednesday. 

It  was  the  greatest  summons  of  his  life.  The  long-ago  order  from  Far- 
ragut,  which  had  sent  him  following  the  Admiral's  flag  up  the  Mississippi 
River,  was  as  great  a  nerve-thrilling  experience,  but  there  he  followed/  this 
day  he  was  to  lead. 


DEWEY'S   FIRST   BATTLE.  63 

Who  can  tell  what  thoughts  go  through  the  brain  of  a  man  who  knows  the 
eyes  of  his  country  and  the  world  are  upon  him  for  defeat  or  victory  at  a  cer- 
tain hour?  The  best  answer  is  probably  the  one  made  by  a  man  experienced 
to  danger  and  responsibility,  that  he  is  not  thinking  of  anything  except  jus 
how  to  manage  and  organize  that  particular  hour.  The  man  who  stops  to 
think  how  he  shall  look  before  the  world  is  lost. 

False  Estimates  of  Men. 

It  is  very  easy  to  get  a  wrong  estimate  of  men  and  give  them  less  credit 
for  powers  they  really  possess  than  belongs  to  them.  We  size  a  man  up 
and  perhaps  set  him  down  as  rather  weak  and  insignificant.  Who  can  tell 
the  kind  of  stuff  any  man  is  made  of  until  the  crisis  hour  comes  and  he  is 
compelled  to  act  ?  Those  who  knew  George  Dewey  in  his  early  life  did  not 
predict  for  him  a  career  so  illustrious.  But  Napoleon  said,  "  The  test  of  a 
gun  is  that  it  shoots."  After  we  see  what  a  man  can  do  we  are  compelled  to 
form  an  estimate  of  what  the  man  is  himself. 

It  is  only  just  to  say  that  after  Dewey 's  heroic  deeds  under  Admiral 
Farragut  the  prediction  that  he  would  rise  to  the  highest  position  if  the  occa- 
sion was  offered,  must  have  been  made  by  every  thoughtful  person  who 
studied  the  make-up  of  the  man. 

As  to  his  always  being  well  dressed  and  showing  himself  to  be  a  stickler 
for  the  rules  and  customs  of  polite  society,  there  is  a  certain  cultured  and 
dignified  element  among  our  people  who  will  rather  commend  this  and  look 
with  contempt  upon  those  who  belittle  it.  They  might  call  him  "  Dewey  the 
Dude,"  but  he  was  not  afraid  of  getting  his  clothes  soiled  at  Manila. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Story  of  Admiral  Dewey's  Magnificent  Victory  as  Told  in 
"The  Bounding  Billow/'  Official  Organ  of  the  Fleet. 

T  may  surprise  some  of  our  readers  to  be  informed  that  a  part  of 
the  equipment  of  some  of  the  ships  which  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Manila  was  a  full  set  of  type,  a  printing  press,  and  men  who 
could  do  the  type-setting  and  press-work.  One  of  the  men 
on  Dewey's  flagship  Olympie  published  from  time  to  time  a  paper  entitled 
The  Bounding  Billow,  which  contained  a  full  record  of  all  the  happenings  on 
board  the  various  ships  of  the  fleet. 

This  is  a  fine  evidence  of  the  intelligence  and  education  that  characterize 
the  men  who  enter  the  American  Navy.  They  are  something  more  than 
mere  machines.  They  are  intelligent,  brainy  men  who  are  not  more  remark- 
able for  their  patriotism  than  they  are  for  their  hard  sense,  their  tact  and  the 
ability  they  possess  to  do  everything  that  needs  to  be  done  on  board  a  man- 
of-war.  The  majority  of  the  officers  of  our  Navy  are  cultured  men.  They 
enjoyed  good  educational  advantages  in  early  life,  and  of  course  in  order  to 
graduate  from  the  Naval  Academy  they  must  have  been  good  scholars  in 
many  of  the  branches  taught  in  our  best  universities. 

The  intelligence  that  characterizes  the  men  who  compose  our  Navy 
accounts  largely  for  our  wonderful  success  in  the  Spanish-American  War. 
Napoleon  I.  said,  "  Ideas  rule  the  world."  We  certainly  had  an  illustration 
of  this  in  the  superb  achievement  of  our  navy  at  Santiago  and  in  Manila 
Bay.  Our  men  were  quick  to  think  and  equally  quick  to  plan  and  execute. 
They  could  take  advantage  of  every  situation.  Our  gunners  could  shoot 
and  our  officers  could  command.  There  was  something  more  than  blind 
courage  ;  there  was  always  intelligent  action. 

Speaking  of  the  paper  published  on  board  the  flagship  Olympia,  the 
reader  will  find  a  special  interest  in  the  following  graphic  account  of  the  battle 
of  Manila  taken  from  the  pages  of  The  Bounding  Billow.  We  insert  the  de- 
scription of  Dewey's  superb  victory  just  as  we  find  it  in  the  pagea  of  that 
publication. 

It  was  written  on  board  the  flagship  by  the  editor,  who  had  every  oppor- 
tunity to  take  in  the  whole  situation,  and  his  account  can  therefore  be  de- 
pended upon  as  reliable;  it  is  the  description  of  men  in  the  battle. 


SIGHTING    A    HOTCHKISS    REVOLVING    GUN 


HOTCHKISS    QUICK    FIRING    O"NS    IN    THE    MILITARY    MAST 


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SINGLE  STICK  EXERCISE 

GROUP  OF  OLDEST  BLUEJACKETS 


TRAINING  A  15-INCH  GUN 

TAKING  SOU    DINGS  OR  HEAVING  THE  LEAD 


NAVAL    MANCEUVRES-TORPEDO    PRACTICE 

'..  IN  THE  SEA-BOATS,  LAYING  BY  THE  TARGET:  THE  TORPEDO  FINISHES  ITS  RUN  BV 
.EARING  INTO  THE  AIR.  2.  THE  MIDDY  AND  THE  COXWAIN  IN  THE  SEA-BOAT 
8,  B.RINQINQ  THE  TQRPEPO  ALONGSIDE. 


MAJOR    GENERAL    WESLEY    MERRITT 


1.  A  FILIPINO  VILLAGE  NEAR  MANILA:  TROOPS  DRILLING  IN  THE  MAIN  STREET.  2.  OUT- 
POSTS IN  TOUCH:  AMERICAN  ON  THE  NEAR  SIDE  OF  THE  BRIDGE,  FILIPINO  BEYOND. 
i.  A  SPANISH  FORT  AT  MANILA.  4.  AT  CAVITE  :  A  SPANISH  GUN-BOAT. 


GENERAL   OTIS 

COMMANDER  OF  THE  AMERICAN  FORCES  IN  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISUANDS 


THE    DEWEY    SWORD 

THE  GIFT  OF  THE   NATION   TO  ADMIRAL  QEORQE  DEWEY,  U.  S.   N.f  IN   MEMORY  OF  THE 
VICTORY  AT  MANILA  BAY,  MAY  UT,  1898 

MAPI   >Y    TIFFANY    *    CO.,    NEW    YORK 


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ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA  BAY. 

THE  U.    S.    FLEET   GAINS  A  DECISIVE  VICTORY   OVER   THE  SPANIARDS — NOT  A  MAN 
KILLED  AMONG  THE  AMERICANS. 

The  U.  S.  Fleet  consisting  of  the  Olympia  (Flagship),  Boston,  Raleigh, 
Baltimore,  Concord,  Petrel,  McCulloch  (Dispatch  boat)  and  the  transports. 
Nanshan,  and  Zafiro  (merchant  steamers  carrying  coal  for  the  fleet)  left  Mirs 


TURRET  OF  A  UNITED  STATES  BATTLESHIP. 

Bay,  China,  April  2/th,  1898,  for  Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  to  engage  th 
Spanish  Fleet  stationed  there.  The  ships  made  a  very  warlike  and  imposing 
picture  as  they  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  in  three  columns,  with  all  colors 
flying,  bent  on  their  dire  and  fateful  errand. 

A  looker  on  would  have  thought  that  the  ships  were  merely  going  on  a 
pleasure  trip  judging  by  the  happy  and  careless  demeanor  of  the  crews;  but 
unless  they  have  experienced  it,  they  would  never  guess  the  strain  that  the 

tmcertainty  of  whether  we  were  really  going  to  war  or  not.  was  on  the  nerves 
6-D 


66  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 

of  these  men  who  had  almost  nothing  to  divert  their  minds.  Once  thii 
suspense  was  relieved,  however,  and  a  definite  move  made,  there  was  a  com- 
plete change  and  they  went  about  their  different  tasks  as  blithesome  and  gay 
as  if  it  were  extended  leave  instead  of  grim  war. 

The  second  day  out  the  following  intellectual  abortion  was  posted  on  the 
bulletin  board.  For  arrogance  and  conceit  it  certainly  caps  the  climax ;  for 
a  sample  of  ignorance  and  idiocy  it  is  unsurpassable. 

>  A  Spaniard's  Boastful  Proclamation. 

The  following  high-sounding  Proclamation  was  issued  by  the  Governor- 
General  of  the  Philippines  : — 

"  SPANIARDS  :  Between  Spain  and  the  United  States  of  North  America 
hostilities  have  broken  out.  The  moment  has  arrived  to  prove  to  the  world 
that  we  possess  the  spirit  to  conquer  those  who,  pretending  to  be  loyal 
friends,  take  advantage  of  our  misfortunes  and  abuse  our  hospitality,  using 
means  which  civilized  nations  count  unworthy  and  disreputable. 

"  The  North  American  people,  constituted  of  all  the  social  excrescences, 
have  exhausted  our  patience  and  provoked  war  with  their  perfidious  machina- 
tions, with  their  acts  of  treachery,  and  with  their  outrages  against  the  laws 
of  nations  and  international  treaties. 

"  The  struggle  will  be  short  and  decisive.  The  God  of  victories  will 
give  us  one  as  complete  as  the  righteousness  and  justice  of  our  cause 
demands.  Spain,  which  counts  upon  the  sympathies  of  all  the  nations,  will 
emerge  triumphant  from  this  new  test,  humiliating  and  blasting  the  adven- 
turers from  those  States  that,  without  cohesion  and  without  a  history,  offer 
to  humanity  only  infamous  traditions  and  the  spectacle  of  a  Congress  in 
which  appear  united  insolence  and  defamation,  cowardice  and  cynicism. 

"  A  squadron  manned  by  foreigners,  possessing  neither  instruction  nor 
discipline,  is  preparing  to  come  to  this  archipelago  with  the  ruffianly  inten- 
tion of  robbing  us  of  all  that  means  life,  honor  and  liberty.  Pretending  to 
be  inspired  by  a  courage  of  which  they  are  incapable,  the  North  American 
seamen  undertake  as  an  enterprise  capable  of  realization  the  substitution  of 
Protestantism  for  the  Catholic  religion  you  profess,  to  treat  you  as  tribes 
refractory  to  civilization,  to  take  possession  of  your  riches  as  if  they  were 
unacquainted  with  the  rights  of  property,  and  to  kidnap  those  persons  whom 
they  consider  useful  to  man  their  ships  or  to  be  exploited  in  agricultural  or 
industrial  labor! 

"  Vain  designs  !  Ridiculous  boastings  !  Your  indomitably  bravery  will 
suffice  to  frustrate  the  attempt  to  carry  them  into  realization.  You  will  nof 
consent  that  they  shall  profane  the  faith  that  you  profess,  that  impious  foot 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  61 

steps  shall  defile  the  temple  of  the  true  God,  nor  that  unbelief  shall  destroy 
the  holy  images  which  you  adore.  The  aggressors  shall  not  profane  the 
tombs  of  your  fathers,  they  shall  not  gratify  their  lustful  passions  at  the  cost 
of  your  wives  and  daughters'  honor,  nor  appropriate  the  property  which  your 
industry  has  accumulated  to  assure  your  livelihood.  No,  they  shall  not  per- 
petrate any  of  these  crimes  inspired  by  their  wickedness  and  covetousness, 
because  your  valor  and  patriotism  will  suffice  to  punish  and  abase  the  people 
that,  claiming  to  be  civilized  and  cultivated,  have  exterminated  the  natives  of 
North  America  instead  of  bringing  to  them  the  life  of  civilization  and  progress. 
"  Philippines,  prepare  for  the  struggle  and,  united  under  the  glorious 
flag  of  Spain,  which  is  ever  covered  with  laurels,  let  us  fight  with  the  con- 
viction that  victory  will  crown  our  efforts,  and  to  the  summons  of  our  enemies 
let  us  oppose  with  the  decision  of  the  Christian  and  tne  patriot  the  cry  of 
'  Viva  Espana.' 

"  Your  General,  "  BASILIO  AGUSTIN  Y  DAVILA." 

A  Pithy  and  Oonvincing  Answer. 

This  unjust  and  cowardly  manifesto  aroused  the  anger  and  indignation 
of  every  man  in  the  fleet,  and  many  were  the  subterranean  growls  and  the 
learned  General  would  have  fared  badly  had  he  been  at  hand.  The  following 
speech  was  made  by  the  Editor  (being  the  literary  organ  and  representative, 
in  answer  to  the  foregoing  proclamation. 

"  Shipmates :  You  all  no  doubt,  have  seen  and  read  the  rank  and 
cowardly  attack,  made  by  the  Spanish  governor  of  Manila  on  the  Glorious 
Flag  and  Country  we  serve. 

"  In  it  he  questions  our  bravery,  our  birth-rights,  the  honesty  of  our 
government  and  claims  that  we  have  no  history !  What  do  the  acts  of  our 
forefathers  represent  ?  What  was  the  glorious  fight  they  made  for  independ- 
ence in  the  war  of  '76,  when  father  and  son  left  their  plow  in  the  furrow  and 
shouldered  their  muskets  for  liberty,  while  wives,  mothers  and  daughters 
cheered  them  on  to  victory?  What  was  the  war  of  1812  and  the  Mexican 
war  ?  History  all,  and  honorable  unstained  history  at  that ! 

"  What  does  he  mean  by  saying  we  are  '  a  cowardly  nation  ? '  '  Old 
Glory/  the  dear  old  flag  we  serve  and  love,  harbors  no  cowards.  Where- 
ever  seen  it  is  recognized  as  the  emblem  of  freedom  and  honor,  the  standard 
of  a  nation  of  heroes,  and  though  he  may  prate  and  proclaim  from  now  until 
'hades  freezes  over,'  he  will  never  make  any  but  the  most  benighted  or 
bigoted  believe  that  he  is  even  sane. 

u  The  sight  of  Our  Flag  is  like  a  breath  of  pure,  fresh  air.  Its  very 
colors  are  significant;  the  red  is  emblematic  of  the  blood  of  heroes  shed  in 


S8  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE  FLAGSHIP. 

the  defense  of  our  country ;  the  white  the  purity  of  our  aims  and  objects,  and 
fhe  star-spangled  blue  the  Heaven  we  look  to  for  guidance  and  strength. 

"  Then  this  Spanish  Solomon  goes  on  to  inform  the  brave  muchachos 
under  his  sovereign  command,  that  we  are  a  gang  of  cut-throat  Protestant 
heretics  who  will  convert  them  '  willy  nilly '  into  a  belief  in  our  faith  ;  that 
we  are  marauders  and  thieves;  that  we  are  the  scourings  off  the  earth's 
gutters,  '  social  excrescences '  (soft  impeachment,)  and  lastly  that  we  had 
veritably  driven  them  on  to  war,  manufacturing  causes  and  insulting  then? 
because  we  knew,  or  rather,  thought  they  were  weak. 

Barbarities  Practiced  by  Spain. 

"  Shipmates,  you  all  know  what  has  brought  on  this  war.  The  bar- 
barous inhumanities  practiced  by  them  in  the  Island  of  Cuba,  right  before 
our  eyes.  Old  men  and  women  cruelly  tortured  and  slain,  babes  murdered 
on  their  mother's  breasts,  thousands  of  peaceful  homes  ruined  and  destroyed 
by  these  Spanish  fiends,  the  dear  old  Stars  and  Stripes  trampled  in  the  mud 
of  Spanish  streets,  and  last,  worst  of  all,  the  tragedy  that  has  been  too  lately 
enacted  to  be  forgotten,  the  destruction  of  the  Maine,  when  brothers,  friends 
and  shipmates  were  foully  murdered  through  Spanish  treachery  and  hatred, 
an  act  that  has  won  for  Spain  the  aversion  of  all  civilized  nations.  These 
acts  have  brought  on  the  war.  Acts  the  wildest  savage  would  disdain, 
crimes  that  none  but  the  lowest  of  Lucifer's  emissaries  would  commit.  It 
is  to  avenge  these  wrongs,  to  give  blessed  liberty  to  an  oppressed  and  down- 
trodden nation,  and  to  uphold  the  honor  of  our  country  that  we  are  going  to 
war  with  Spain.  The  Governor  says  the  Spanish  flag  is  covered  with  laurels ; 
perhaps,  but  they  are  laurels  of  infamy. 

"  Fellow  patriots,  when  the  hour  arrives  we  will  one  and  all  gladly  lay 
down  our  lives  for  the  dear  flag  and  beloved  country  that  has  never  had  one 
stain  to  blemish  the  purity  of  its  escutcheon.  I  know  of  no  words  that  will 
appeal  more  forcibly  to  your  hearts  than  those  of  the  '  Patriot  Poet '  Holmes 
in  the  beautiful  poem, — 

THE  FLOWER  OF  FREEDOM. 
"  What  flower  is  this,  that  greets  the  morn, 
Its  hues  from  Heaven  so  freshly  born, 
With  burning  star  and  flaming  band 
It  kindles  all  the  sunset  land, 
O  !  tell  me  what  its  name  may  be  ? 
It  is  the  '  Flower  of  Liberty! 

"  Behold  its  streaming  rays  unite, 
One  mingling  flood  of  braided  light, 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP,  3? 

The  red  that  fires  the  southern  rose 

With  spotless  white,  from  northern  snows, 

While  spangled  o'er  its  azure,  see 

The  sister  stars  of  liberty  I 

The  blades  of  heroes  fence  it  round, 

Where  e'er  it  springs  is  holy  ground, 

It  makes  the  land,  as  ocean  free, 

And  plants  an  empire,  on  the  sea. 

"  Thy  sacred  folds,  fair  freedom's  flower, 
Shall  ever  float  from  dome  and  tower, 
To  all  their  heavenly  colors  true 
In  blackening  frost  or  crimson  dew. 
O  !  land  where  thy  banners  wave  last  in  the  sun, 
Blazoned  with  star  clusters,  many  in  one ! 
Waving  o'er  mountain  and  prairie  and  sea, 
Hark  !  'tis  the  voice  of  thy  children  to  thee. 
Here  at  thine  altar  our  vows  we  renew 
E'er  in  thy  cause  to  be  loyal  and  true, 
True  to  thy  flag  on  the  field  and  the  wave, 
Living  to  honor  it ,  dying  to  save. 

"  Flag  of  the  heroes,  who  left  us  their  glory 
Borne  through  their  battle  field's  thunder  and  flame, 
Blazoned  in  song  and  illumined  in  story, 
Waves  o'er  us  all,  who  inherit  their  fame. 
Light  of  our  firmament,  guide  of  our  nation, 
Pride  of  her  children  and  honored  afar, 
E'er  the  bright  beams  of  thy  full  constellation, 
Shall  scatter  each  cloud  that  would  darken  a  star. 

"Yet  if  by  madness  or  treachery  blighted, 
Dawns  the  dark  hour  when  the  sword  thou  must  draw 
Then  with  the  arms  of  thy  millions  united, 
Smite  the  bold  traitors  to  freedom  and  law. 
Lord  of  the  Universe,  shield  us  and  guide  us, 
Trusting  thee  always  through  shadow  and  sun. 
Thou  hast  united  us ;  who  shall  divide  us  ? 
Keep  us  !  O  keep  us  !  The  '  Many  in  One.' 
Up  with  our  banner  bright, 
Spangled  with  starry  light  ; 
Spread  its  fair  emblems  from  mountain  to  shore, 
While  thro'  the  sounding  sky, 
Loud  rings  the  nation's  cry, 
Union  and  Liberty  !  One  evermore  1  " 


TO  STORIES   BY    OFFICERS   OF   THE   FLAGSHIP. 

"And  now  shipmates,  when  we  get  to  Manila  and  meet  the  Spanish 
murderers,  let  our  battle  cry  b£, — 

"  Remember  the  Maine 
And  down  with  Spain  !  " 

About  two  o'clock  Saturday  morning  land  was  sighted,  and  at  daylight 
we  were  close  on  the  coast  of  the  enemy's  country. 

We  kept  about  five  or  six  miles  from  the  coast  line,  keeping  a  bright 
look  out  for  men-o'-war  or  other  craft  of  the  enemy.  During  the  morning 
the  Boston  and  Concord  were  sent  a-head  to  reconnoiter  Subig  Bay,  as  it 
was  rumored  that  there  were  two  men-o'-war  there.  Later  we  sighted  a 
couple  of  fishing  schooners.  The  transport  Zafiro  was  sent  to  board  one. 
They  informed  the  officer  that  there  were  only  two  gunboats  in  Manila 
Harbor.  We  knew  they  were  lying,  but  allowed  them  to  proceed  without 
molestation. 

In  the  afternoon  the  light  house  on  Cape  Bolinao  was  sighted,  and  the 
Baltimore  was  sent  ahead  to  reconnoiter.  When  the  fleet  reached  Subig  Bay 
the  Baltimore  was  close  in  shore  while  the  Boston  and  Concord  were  stand- 
ing out  toward  us.  They  had  seen  nothing  of  the  enemy.  The  fleet  then 
formed  hi  column  again  and  proceeded  for  Manila. 

Danger  from  Mines  and  Torpedoes. 

It  was  Commodore  Dewey's  intention  to  pass  the  large  fort  on  Corregidor 
Island,  twenty-six  miles  from  Manila,  about  midnight  if  possible,  without 
being  seen.  It  was  a  bold  move  and  certainly  deserved  the  success  that 
crowned  it,  for  there  was  great  danger  of  mines  and  torpedoes  being  placed 
in  the  entrance,  to  say  nothing  of  the  guns  on  the  forts.  The  harbor  had  in 
fact  been  considered  impregnable  and  no  doubt  it  was,  but  not  against  Yankee 
grit  and  daring.  At  about  midnight  we  were  standing  up  Manila  Bay  at  a 
speed  of  four  knots.  We  had  been  in  hopes  that  the  moon  would  go  down 
as  its  light  was  rather  annoying  to  our  hopes  of  entering  undiscovered,  but 
he  seemed  determined  to  stay  out  and  see  the  fun.  The  guns  were  all 
manned  and  kept  trained  on  the  fort,  while  eyes  and  ears  were  strained 
watching  and  waiting  for  the  shot  that  would  indicate  our  discovery.  Cor- 
regidor fort  was  on  our  left  while  another  battery  somewhat  further  in  was  on 
our  right  hand. 

On  board  the  ships  everything  was  quiet,  and  nothing  could  be  heard 
but  the  officers  giving  the  range  in  whispers  and  the  monotonous  swash^ 
swash,  of  the  water.  The  strain  was  terrible,  and  not  one  of  the  men  that 
manned  that  fleet  will  ever  forget  the  morning  of  the  "  First  of  May." 


FORM  OF  APPOINTMENT  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY,  MADE  AT  CAVITE  IN 

THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS,  AND  SIGNED  BY  CAPTAIN  LAMBERTCU, 

CHIEF  OF  STAFF  TO  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 

n 


7£  STORIES   BY  OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 

Suddenly  a  flash  of  light  was  seen  on  the  fort  on  Corregidor.  The  men 
hold  their  breath  waiting  the  report,  but  it  was  only  a  rocket.  Soon  another 
goes  up,  a  light  on  shore  flashes  out  signals,  another  on  the  other  side 
and  we  know  we  are  seen.  It  is  afterwards  rumored  that  two  torpedoes  had 
been  fired  at  us,  but  they  did  not  have  range  enough  to  reach  us. 

At  seventeen  minutes  past  twelve  the  battery  on  our  right  opened  fire, 
the  shell  passing  between  the  Olympia  and  Baltimore.  The  Raleigh  answered 
immediately.  Another  shot  between  the  Concord  and  Boston  was  answered 
by  the  latter  and  the  McCulloch.  The  McCulloch  then  turned  back  to  look 
after  the  transports.  The  Flagship  signaled  to  the  McCulloch,  "  Are  you  all 
right?  "  McCulloch  answered  "  O.  K."  It  was  too  dark  for  the  Boston  and 
Raleigh  to  locate  the  batteries,  so  they  ceased  firing.  None  of  the  ships 
were  struck. 

Ready  for  the  Opening  Signal. 

About  3.20  word  was  passed  to  "  lay  by  your  guns  and  take  it  easy/' 
Some  of  the  men  "  lay,"  but  "  taking  it  easy  "  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
decks  were  sprinkled  with  sand,  and  it  would  get  into  eyes,  ears  and  nose, 
scratch  the  skin,  and  occasionally  some  one  would  stroll  over  your  recumbent 
form,  as  leisurely  as  if  on  parade,  for  all  lights  were  out  and  the  decks  were 
as  dark  as  Erebus.  At  four  o'clock,  coffee  was  served  out  and  the  stillness 
was  broken  by  the  clashing  of  bowls  and  the  merry  laughter  occasioned  by 
collisions  in  the  dark.  Everybody  was  as  happy  as  though  on  an  excursion, 
jokes  and  witty  stories  were  going  the  rounds,  while  every  once  in  a  awhile 
some,  pensive  nightingull  would  strike  up  the  affecting  song  "  Just  Before  the 
Battle,  Mother,"  until  some  one  spilled  a  bowl  of  "  boot-leg  "  over  him  and 
quieted  him  for  a  few  minutes. 

The  men  were  all  in  "  war-clothes  "  (which  consisted  of  almost  nothing) 
and  despite  the  joking  and  laughing,  the  determined  gleam  in  their  eyes 
showed  that  they  meant  business  and  were  there  to  "  do  or  die." 

We  were  standing  in  toward  the  city  to  reconnoiter.  Several  foreign 
sailing  vessels  were  laying  off  Manila,  but  no  men-o'-war  could  be  seen.  At 
twelve  minutes  to  five  we  broke  "  Old  Glory ''at  the  mast-heads  and  gaff 
and  were  saluted  with  a  ten-inch  shell  from  a  battery  on  the  south  bastion  of 
the  city.  This  fort  kept  up  a  continual  fire,  but  all  the  shots  fell  short.  We 
did  not  return  their  fire,  but  headed  in  for  the  Navy  Yard  at  Cavite. 

The  Spanish  fleet  were  sighted  at  seven  minutes  to  five.  They  were 
laying  in  line  from  Sangley  Point  to  Las  Pinas  across  Cavite  and  Canacao 
Bays.  Their  right  flank  was  protected  by  Cavite  peninsula  on  which  was 
mounted  a  very  heavy  battery.  The  left  flank  reached  to  the  shoal  part  of 
the  Bay  near  Las  Pinas. 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  73 

The  Spanish  vessels  were  further  protected  by  a  huge  boom  covered 
with  chains,  lighters  filled  with  stones  and  water,  covering  the  water  lines. 
The  Reina  Cristina  was  standing  off  the  left  flank  of  the  line,  and  had  the 
Spanish  Rear  Admiral  Montojo  y  Pasaron  on  board. 

At  5.35  the  ball  was  opened  by  the  batteries  on  Sangley  Point  and  a 
shell  fell  near  the  Olympia.  The  American  fleet  then  advanced  to  the  attack, 
the  flagship  leading.  Commodore  Dewey  personally  directed  the  movements 
of  the  squadron  from  the  forward  bridge.  The  Captain  directed  the  firing 
while  the  Captains  in  command  of  the  other  vessels  handled  their  respective 
ships  with  a  dexterity  that  was  little  short  of  marvelous. 

"The  Men  Behind  the  Guns." 

At  5.38  the  Reina  Cristina  opened  fire  followed  by  the  rest  of  thg 
Spanish  fleet.  At  5.55  the  American  fleet  began  firing,  and  a  rapid  fire  was 
kept  up  by  the  entire  fleet  during  the  engagement.  A  torpedo  boat  came 
out  about  ten  minutes  past  six  and  endeavored  to  place  itself  in  the  track  of 
the  Olympia,  but  was  driven  ashore  by  the  rapid-fire  guns.  Another  boat 
came  out  and  fired  a  torpedo  which  passed  across  the  bow  of  the  McCulloch,, 
but  did  no  damage.  Before  the  boat  could  escape  it  was  struck  by  so  many 
shots  that  nothing  was  left  of  it  but  smoke.  There  were  several  torpedo 
attacks  made  on  the  other  vessels,  but  luckily  all  were  effectualy  repulsed  or 
blown  up.  This  was  mainly  due  to  the  good  marksmanship  of  the  "  men 
behind  the  guns." 

The  American  fleet  steamed  along  the  entire  length  of  the  Spanish  line 
at  distances  varying  from  5600  to  1500  yards.  The  order  was  given  to  fire 
on  the  arsenal  in  Cavite,  and  a  well-directed  shot  from  an  eight-inch  gun  sent 
it  up  in  smoke.  This  was  at  6.45  and  our  fleet  had  just  made  the  first  round. 
We  passed  the  line  of  ships  and  forts  five  times,  three  times  from  the  east- 
ward and  twice  from  the  westward. 

On  the  second  round  from  the  westward  the  Spanish  Admiral  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  get  outside  the  boom,  but  received  a  concentrated  fire  from 
the  fleet.  His  ship  caught  fire  and  he  transferred  his  flag  to  the  Castilla,  first 
hauling  down  the  colors  on  the  Reina  Cristina.  The  American  ships  then 
stopped  firing  at  the  latter  and  kept  a  continual  storm  of  steel  raining  on  the 
enemy's  other  ships  and  forts. 

The  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa  also  made  a  desperate  but  futile  attempt  to 
get  out.  She  went  down  with  her  colors  flying  at  her  peak  until  the  Petrel 
lowered  a  boat  and  cut  them  away.  The  flag  was  presented  to  Commodore 
Dewey.  In  the  meantime  the  Spanish  Admiral  returned  to  the  Rein* 
Cristina,  the  Castilla  being  in  a  sinking  condition.  The  Spanish  fought  ver* 


74  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF   THE   FLAGSHIP. 

courageously,  many  of  them  going  down  fighting  their  guns  until  the  last. 
Even  amidst  the  horrors  and  cruelties  of  war,  one  cannot  help  remarking  and 
admiring  the  valor  of  these  heroes,  Spaniards  and  enemies  though  they  be.  . 

It  was  on  this  round  that  the  Boston  stood  like  a  fort  for  ten  minutes 
firing  as  fast  as  they  could  load  and  aim,  receiving  the  concentrated  fire  of 
all  the  Spanish  ships.  The  Olympia  was  twice  hulled,  but  the  shells  did  not 
penetrate  sufficiently  to  do  much  damage.  Although  shot  and  shell  rained 
thick  around  her  she  was  struck  but  eight  times,  and  miraculous  though  itj 
may  be,  not  a  man  was  injured.  The  other  ships  in  the  fleet  thought  the 
Flagship  was  sinking,  for  all  that  could  be  seen  of  her  was  a  cloud  of  smoke 
and  jets  of  flame  bursting  through. 

One  shot  struck  the  Baltimore  in  the  starboard  waist  just  abaft  one  of  the 
6  inch  guns.  It  passed  through  the  hammock  netting,  exploded  a  couple  of 
3  pounder  shells,  wounding  six  men,  then  across  the  deck  striking  the  cylinder 
of  a  gun  making  it  temporarily  useless,  then  running  around  the  shield  it 
spent  itself  between  two  ventilators  just  forward  of  the  engine  room  hatch. 
The  shell  is  in  possession  of  the  Captain.  The  other  vessels  also,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Concord  and  Petrel,  were  struck  several  times. 

OUT  Fleet  Makes  Havoc  of  the  Foe. 

At  about  half  past-seven  the  Spanish  fire  slackened.  The  Reina  Cristina 
was  on  fire  and  sinking,  the  Castilla  was  sunk  and  many  others  were  afire  and 
crippled.  The  fort  on  the  mole  at  Pasig  River  had  ceased  firing.  At  7.56 
we  stood  off  shore  for  the  middle  of  the  bay,  the  batteries  in  the  forts  on 
Sangley  Point,  along  the  beach  of  Cavite  and  on  the  south  bastion  of  Manila 
kept  up  a  continuous  but  ineffective  fire. 

The  crews  had  breakfast  and  a  rest  which  they  certainly  needed,  though 
they  were  every  one  anxious  to  continue  and  have  it  out.  The  batteries  on 
Cavite  kept  up  a  continual  fire,  but  the  range  was  too  long  and  they  did  no 
further  damage  than  to  waste  their  ammunition. 

A  conference  of  Commanders  was  held  on  board  the  Flagship,  and  at 
10.15  the  fleet  stood  in  to  silence  the  batteries.  The  Baltimore  led,  Olympia 
followed  close  behind  while  the  Raleigh  and  Boston  formed  on  the  right 
flank.  The  Concord  and  Petrel  diverged  to  the  left  and  manceuvered  to  get 
behind  the  point  on  which  the  forts  were  situated.  The  two  leading  vessels 
steamed  in  bows  on,  and  when  about  1500  yards  from  the  batteries  opened 
fire  with  their  large  guns.  As  the  Boston  and  Raleigh  came  up  the  Flagship 
drew  back  while  the  Baltimore  remained  stationary,  delivering  shot  after  shot 
with  such  telling  effect  that  in  twenty  minutes  she  silenced  the  two  most 
dangerous  guns. 


HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM   THE    UNITED  STATES  NAVY  OF 
fcOLL,  WHO  WAS  IN  THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA  MAY  IST;  ALSO 

PARDMENT  OF  MANILA  AUGUST  13™,  AND  SIGNED  BY 

COGHLAN,  COMMANDER  OF  THE  RALEIGH, 


COXSWAIN  CAR- 
AT  THE  BOM- 
CAPTAIN 


76  STORIES   BY  OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 

The  Boston  and  Raleigh  steamed  along  the  point,  delivering  broadsides 
as  they  went  at  the  remaining  fort  on  Sangley  Point.  In  the  meantime  the 
brave  little  battle-ships  Petrel  aud  Concord  steamed  in  behind  the  point  and 
attacked  the  forts  from  the  rear,  utterly  demoralizing  the  Spaniards.  The 
Concord  fired  a  few  shots  at  the  transport  Midanao  which  had  been  run  on 
the  shoals  off  Las  Pinas,  and  after  being  assured  that  there  was  no  life  on 
board  set  the  vessel  on  fire. 

At  twenty  minutes  past  twelve  a  white  flag  went  up  near  Cavite  and  the 
bombardment  ceased.  The  Petrel  was  sent  up  the  Ciran  River  to  destroy 
the  gunboats  that  had  retreated  there. 

The  Boston  and  Concord  remained  off  the  Navy  Yard  while  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  proceeded  to  the  city  to  silence  the  fort  there,  that  had  been  so  per- 
sistent in  making  itself  heard.  Just  as  we  got  in  range  they  ran  up  the 
"  white  flag,"  and  when  the  sun  set  that  night  its  last  rays  rested  like  a 
benediction  on  "  Old  Glory  "  waving  proudly  from  mast  head  and  peak  of 
Uncle  Sam's  doughty  arbitrators. 

How  the  Victory  was  Won. 

Superior  tactical  knowledge  and  calm  calculations,  superior  gunnery  and 
coolness  together  with  Yankee  daring  won  the  day. 

The  next  day  the  Petrel  went  into  the  bay  and  brought  out  a  number  of 
steam  launches,  two  tugs  and  a  couple  of  small  boats,  which  were  distributed 
among  the  fleet.  The  surrender  of  all  the  vessels  of  war,  forts  and  arsenals 
in  the  bay  was  demanded  and  given.  The  surrender  of  the  city  was  delayed 
until  the  authorities  at  Washington  were  heard  from. 

Apothecaries,  nurses  and  detachments  of  men  were  sent  on  shore  to 
assist  in  caring  for  and  transporting  the  wounded  to  the  hospitals,  and  bury- 
ing the  dead.  The  effect  of  our  deadly  fusillade  was  simply  frightful,  the 
dead  and  wounded  strewing  the  grounds  and  buildings  like  leaves  in 
autumn. 

One  of  the  wounded  from  the  Reina  Cristina  could  speak  very  good 
English,  having  been  in  America  some  time,  but  on  returning  to  his  native 
land  on  a  visit  had  been  impressed  in  the  service.  He  had  both  legs  shot 
away.  He  stated  that  nearly  all  the  vessels  had  double  crews,  many  of  them 
being  volunteers  from  among  the  citizens,  that  the  number  of  deaths  would 
never  be  known.  He  also  said  that  no  sooner  had  a  gun  been  loaded  than  a 
storm  of  projectiles  would  sweep  away  the  gun's  crew.  At  the  time  the 
Spanish  Admiral  tried  to  get  his  ship  out  he  received  such  a  terrible  fire  that 
the  deck  was  one  mass  of  bursting  shell.  The  captain,  he  said,  was  killed 
almost  at  the  first  discharge. 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  77 

THE  SPANISH  FLEET  CONSISTED  OF  THE  FOLLOWING  NAMED  VESSELS  : 
f  Reina  Cristina.          (Flagship.)     ....     Cruiser 

{  Castilla " 

f  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa " 

f  Don  Juan  de  Austria ,.     .          " 

f  Isla  de  Cuba 

f  Isla  de  Luzon 

J  General  Lezo Gunboat. 

f  Marquis  del  Ducro 

J  Elcano 

fVelasco 

t  Argus " 

J  Isla  de  Mindanao Transport. 

Manila " 

Vessels  sunk  are  marked  thus  (f). 
Vessels  burnt  are  marked  thus  (J). 

The  Luzon,  Cuba,  Duero,  Lezo,  Austria  and  Elcano  are  sunk  in  the 
mouth  of  Cinar  River.  The  transport  Manila,  the  armed  tug  Barcelo  with  a 
large  quantity  of  appurtenances  for  laying  mines,  several  other  armed  tugs 
and  launches  were  captured.  Since  the  day  of  the  engagement  the  American 
fleet  have  been  busy  destroying  fortifications,  ammunition  and  disarming  the 
hulks  of  the  Spanish  ships. 

Jolly  Music  During  the  Fight. 

An  amusing  incident  which  occurred  during  the  heat  of  the  engagement 
will  show  what  an  utter  disregard  the  men  had  for  the  seriousness  of  the 
occasion.  It  was  on  board  the  Raleigh,  two  shellmen,  both  fair  amateur 
musicians,  would  snatch  moments  between  hustling  ammunition  to  take,  one 
the  guitar,  the  other  a  violin,  and  strike  up  the  inspiring  tune  "  There'll  be  a 
Hot  Time  in  the  Old  Town  To-night,"  while  even  the  Captain  could  not 
refrain  from  laughing  at  the  ludicrousness  of  the  scene. 

That  night  the  scene  was  awful,  but  grand.  The  blaze  from  the  burning 
vessel  threw  their  lurid  glare  over  the  rack  and  ruin  ashore  and  the  wreck, 
afloat,  while  occasionally  a  magazine  would  burst,  like  the  eruption  of  a| 
volcano  throwing  its  flaming  debris  high  into  the  air,  making  a  lurid  picture 
of  the  horrors  of  modern  warfare  that  made  a  lifelong  impression  on  all  that 
saw  it. 

The  following  is  the  account  of  the  battle  taken  from  the  daily  paper 
published  in  Manila.  To  judge  by  the  disconnected  appearance  of  the  article, 
the  writer  must  have  been  viewing  the  engagement  from  a  pine  apple  orchard 


78  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF   THE   FLAGSH1F. 

or  some  other  place  of  safety  a  good  many  miles  distant.     However,  we  give 
the  extract  as  it  is  and  leave  it  to  the  judgment  of  our  readers. 

(Translated from  the  Diario  de  Manila,  May  jih,  /<?9<?.) 

"A  Naval  Surprise. 

"  When  the  enemy's  squadron  was  sighted  in  perfect  line  of  battle 
through  the  clouds  of  a  misty  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of  May, 
gloom  and  surprise  were  general  among  the  people  of  Manila.  At  last  these 
ships  had  strained  their  boldness  to  the  point  of  appearing  on  our  coasts  and 
defying  our  batteries,  which  showed  more  courage  and  valor  than  effect  when 
they  opened  fire  on  the  squadron.  It  needs  something  more  than  courage  to 
make  projectiles  penetrate — indeed  it  does  ! 

"Every  Man  to  His  Station. 

"  The  inequality  of  our  batteries  when  compared  with  those  of  the 
squadron  which  alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  Manila  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  was  enough  to  transform  the  tranquil  character  of  our  tropical  tem- 
peraments. 

"  While  ladies  and  children  in  carriages  or  on  foot  fled  in  fright  to  seek 
refuge  in  the  outlying  suburbs  and  adjacent  villages  around  the  Capital  from 
danger  multiplied  by  their  imagination,  every  man  from  the  stately  personage 
to  the  most  humble  workman,  merchants  and  mechanics,  Spaniards  and  na- 
tives, soldiers  and  civilians,  all,  we  repeat,  sought  their  stations  and  put  on 
their  arms,  confident  that  never  should  the  enemy  land  in  Manila  unless  he 
passed  over  their  corpses.  Yet  from  the  first  moment  the  strength  of  the 
enemy's  armor  and  the  power  of  his  guns  demonstrated  that  his  ships  were 
invulnerable  to  our  energies  and  our  armaments,  the  hostile  squadron  would 
never  have  entered  our  bay  had  not  its  surety  been  guaranteed  by  its  manifest 
superiority. 

"Spectators  and  Observers. 

"The  city  walls,  the  church  towers,  the  roofs  of  high  buildings,  and  all 
high  places  convenient  for  observation  were  occupied  by  those  who  were  not 
j-etained  by  their  military  duties  within  the  walls,  on  the  bridges,  or  at  the 
'advanced  posts.  The  slightest  details  of  the  enemy's  ships  were  eagerly 
noted  as  they  advanced  towards  Cavite  in  a  line  parallel  with  the  beaches  of 
Manila,  as  though  they  had  just  come  out  of  the  Pasig  River.  There  were 
no  gaps  in  the  line,  but  the  curious  public  hardly  realized  the  disparity  be- 
tween their  great  guns  and  the  pieces  mounted  on  our  fortifications.  Some 
had  glasses  and  others  were  without ;  but  all  seemed  to  devour  with  their 


STORIES   BY  OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  79 

eyes  these  strangers,  who,  while  brave,  were  not  called  upon  to  show  their 
courage,  since  the  range  of  their  guns  and  the  weakness  of  our  batteries 
enabled  them  to  preserve  their  impunity  while  doing  us  as  much  harm  as 
they  pleased. 

"Remarks  of  the  People. 

"  All  who  appreciated  the  impunity  with  which  the  hostile  ships  ma- 
noeuvred, as  if  on  a  harmless  parade,  were  full  of  such  rage  and  desperation  as 
belongs  to  the  brave  man  who  can  make  no  use  of  his  courage ;  to  whom  re- 
mains no  remedy  except  an  honorable  death  rather  than  a  cowardly  inactivity. 

"A  soldier  of  the  First  Battalion  of  Cazadores  gazed  at  the  squadron 
sweeping  over  the  waters  out  of  reach  of  the  fire  of  our  batteries,  looked  out 
at  the  ships  and  then  toward  heaven,  saying,  'If  Holy  Mary  would  turn  that 
sea  into  land  the  Yankees  would  find  out  how  we  can  charge  in  double  time.' 
And  a  crouching  native  staring  out  at  the  ships  said,  '  Just  let  them  come 
ashore  and  give  us  a  whack  at  them.'  On  they  stood  at  full  speed  in  column 
of  battle  Heading  for  Cavite  with  the  decision  due  to  a  sense  of  safety  and  a 
firm  assurance  of  success. 

"The  Fight  Seen  from  Manila. 

"  For  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  the  bombardment  held  in  suspense 
those  whose  souls  followed  the  unequal  struggle,  in  which  the  Spanish  ships 
went  down  with  their  glorious  banners  flying. 

"What  was  going  on  in  the  waters  of  Cavite?  From  Manila  we  saw 
through  glasses,  the  two  squadrons  almost  mingled  together  m  the  clouds  of 
smoke.  This  was  not  far  from  a  triumph  for  our  side,  considering  the  weak- 
ness of  our  batteries.  For,  once  alongside  the  enemy,  the  cry  of '  Boarders 
Away ! '  and  the  flash  of  cold  steel  might  have  enabled  our  devoted  seamen 
to  disturb  the  calm  in  which  watches  and  instruments  were  regulating  and 
directing  those  engines  of  destruction.  In  the  blindness  of  our  rage  how 
should  we  paint  the  heroic  deeds,  the  prowess,  the  waves  of  valor  which  burst 
forth  from  our  men-of-war  ?  Those  who  fought  beneath  the  Spanish  flag  bore 
themselves  like  men,  as  chosen  sons  of  our  native  land  who  never  measure 
forces,  nor  yield  to  superior  force  in  the  hands  of  an  enemy;  who  would 
Vather  die  without  ships  than  live  in  ships  which  have  surrendered. 

"  To  name  those  who  distinguished  themselves  in  battle  would  require 
the  publication  of  the  entire  muster-rolls  of  our  ships,  from  captain  to  cabin- 
boy.  To  these  victorious  seamen  of  ours  we  offer  congratulations;  laurels 
for  the  living ;  prayers  for  the  dead  ;  for  all  our  deepest  gratitude.  Since  we 
cannot  reconstruct  the  bloody  scene  which  was  exhibited  last  Sunday  in  the 
Caters  of  Cavite.  we  will  not  attempt  a  description,  which  would  only  be  a 


BO  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 

pale  shadow  of  great  deeds  deserving  a  perpetual  place  in  the  pages  of  history. 
When  the  hostile  squadron  turned  toward  Cavite,  the  crew  of  the  steamer 
Isla  de  Mindanao  heard  the  drums  beating  to  quarters,  and  answered  with 
enthusiasm,  the  three  rounds  of  cheers  for  the  King,  for  the  Queen,  and  for 
Spain,  which  echoed  along  our  line. 

"  Later,  until  a  quarter  to  five,  absolute  silence  reigned.  Everything  was 
ready.  The  idea  of  death  was  lost  in  ardor  for  the  fray,  and  every  eye  was 
fixed  on  the  battle  flags  waving  at  our  mast  heads.  In  perfect  and  majestic 
order — why  should  we  deny  this? — the  nine  Yankee  ships  advanced  in  battle 
array.  The  Olympia,  bearing  the  Admiral's  flag,  led  the  column  followed  by 
the  other  ships,  steering  at  full  speed  toward  Cavite.  The  Olympia  opened 
fire,  and  an  instant  reply  came  from  the  battery  on  the  mole,  which  kept  on 
firing  at  five-minute  intervals,  while  the  iron- clad  shaped  her  course  for  the 
Reina  Christina  and  Castilla.  Into  both  these  ships  she  poured  a  steady  and 
rapid  fire  seconded  by  the  ships  which  followed  in  her  wake.  Another  ship 
which  directed  a  heavy  fire  on  our  line  was  the  Baltimore,  and  so  the  can- 
nonade went  on  until  a  quarter  to  eight.  At  that  moment  the  Don  Juan  de 
Austria  advanced  against  the  enemy  intending  to  board  the  Olympia,  and  if  a 
tremendous  broadside  had  not  stopped  her  self-devoted  charge,  both  ships 
might  perhaps  have  sunk  to  the  bottom. 

"Tried  to  Attack  the  Olympia. 

"  The  captain  of  the  Reina  Christina,  seeing  that  the  resolute  attempt  of 
his  consort  had  failed,  advanced  at  full  speed  until  within  about  200  yards  of 
the  Olympia,  aiming  to  attack  her.  Then  a  shower  of  projectiles  swept  the 
bridge  and  decks  filling  the  ship  with  dead  and  wounded  heroes  and  martyrs 
whom  the  nation  will  remember  as  long  as  it  endures. 

"  A  dense  column  of  smoke  from  the  bow-compartment  showed  that  an 
incendiary  projectile,  such  as  the  law  of  God  and  man  prohibits,  had  set  fire 
to  the  cruiser.  The  ship,  still  keeping  up  her  fire  on  the  enemy,  withdrew 
toward  the  arsenal,  where  she  was  sunk  to  keep  her  from  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  Yankees. 

"  The  desperation  of  the  men  of  the  Reina  Christina  was  aggravated  by 
the  sight  of  the  Castilla  also  in  a  blaze,  from  a  similar  use  of  incendiary  pro- 
jectiles. The  principal  ships  of  our  little  squadron  having  thus  been  put  out 
of  action,  the  Yankee  vessels,  some  of  them  badly  crippled  by  the  fire  of  our 
ships,  and  the  batteries  at  Point  Sangley,  stood  out  toward  Mariveles  and  the 
entrance  of  the  bay,  ceasing  their  fire  and  occupying  themselves  in  repairing 
injuries  until  ten  o'clock,  when  they  began  a  second  attack  to  complete  their 
work  of  destruction.  In  this  second  assault  the  fire  at  the  arsenal  was  extin- 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  81 

guished,  and  they  continued  to  cannonade  the  blazing  gunboats.  One  gun- 
boat, which  seemed  to  have  nothing  more  venturesome  to  undertake,  detached 
herself  from  the  squadron  and  set  to  work  to  riddle  the  mail  steamer  Isla  de 
Mindanao.  Now  that  the  ships  were  in  flames,  the  Admiral,  Senor  Montojo, 
who  had  shown  his  flag  as  long  as  there  was  a  vessel  afloat,  landed,  and 
hostilities  ceased. 

"  The  only  Spanish  ship  which  had  not  been  destroyed  by  fire  or  by  the 
enemy's  projectiles,  sunk  herself  so  that  she  could  in  no  wise  be  taken.  Such 
in  broad  outlines,  which  we  cannot  correct  at  this  moment,  was  the  naval 
battle  of  Cavite,  in  which  the  last  glimpse  of  our  squadron  showed  the 
Spanish  flag.  A  thousand  sensational  details  have  reached  us,  which  we 
would  reproduce  gladly,  after  the  necessary  corrections,  if  our  pen  would 
serve  for  anything  except  to  sing  the  glory  of  these  martyrs  of  the  nation. 
Perhaps  to-morrow  or  another  day,  with  fuller  knowledge  of  the  facts,  we 
can  furnish  our  readers  with  many  interesting  details.  To-day  we  limit  our- 
selves to  a  sketch  of  the  grand  picture  which  was  unrolled  before  on  the  first 
of  May,  begging  our  friends  to  excuse  the  defects  which  they  may  note. 

"  The  Killed  and  Wounded. 

"  Killed :  The  Captain,  Chaplain,  Clerk,  and  Boatswain  of  the  Reina 
Christina.  Wounded:  The  Captains  of  the  Castilla  and  Don  Antonio  de 
Ulloa ;  the  Executive  Officer  of  the  Reina  Christina ;  a  Lieutenant  of  the 
Don  Juan  de  Austria ;  the  Paymaster  of  the  Ulloa,  the  second  Surgeon  of  the 
Christina,  the  Surgeon  of  the  Ulloa  and  Chief  Engineers  of  the  Christina  and 
Austria. 

"  Batteries. 

"  The  gunners  of  the  batteries  defending  Manila  and  Cavite  showed  the 
highest  degree  of  energy  and  heroism.  Every  one  applauds  these  brave 
artillerymen  who,  by  their  calmness  and  skill,  did  all  that  was  possible  with 
the  guns  assigned  to  them,  allowing  for  their  deficiencies  and  imperfections. 

"  The  battery  that  did  most  harm  to  the  enemy  was  the  one  on  Point 
Sangley  made  up  of  Hontoria  guns.  From  one  of  these  guns  came  the  shot 
which  the  Boston  received,  while  four  ships  which  had  altogether  65  guns 
were  pouring  their  fires  on  this  battery  to  reduce  it  to  silence.  One  gun  hav- 
ing been  crippled  the  other  kept  on  playing,  firing  whenever  damage  could  be 
done  and  avoiding  waste  of  ammunition.  To  one  of  its  shots  is  attributed 
the  hurt  which  turned  the  Baltimore  from  the  fight.  This  gun  must  have 
greatly  annoyed  the  Yankees,  to  judge  by  the  effort  they  made  to  silence  its 
fire,  following  it  up  until  six  gunners  had  been  killed  and  four  wounded. 

"  On  this  account  it  is  proposed  to  demand  the  bestowal  of  the  laurel- 
6-D 


82  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE  FLAGSHIP, 

wreathed  cross  of  San  Fernando  to  the  valiant  gunners  who  served  this  bat- 
tery. The  Luneta  battery  at  Manila  which  assailed  the  Yankee  ships  witfl 
much  vigor  was  the  object  of  the  enemy's  special  attention  as  he  stood  past 
the  fortifications  of  Manila,  heading  for  Cavite.  Guns  were  also  mounted  at 
the  entrance  of  the  bay  on  Corregidor  and  Caballo  Islands,  on  El  Fraile  rock, 
on  the  south  shore  at  Point  Restinga,  and  at  Mariveles,  Punta  Gorda  and 
Point  Lasisi  on  the  north  shore.  The  guns  on  Corregidor  Island  were  of 
about  six-inch  calibre ;  similar  guns  were  mounted  on  the  rock  and  on  Point 
Restinga.  The  other  batteries  had  guns  of  smaller  calibre  and  short  range. 

"Making  the  Best  of  the  Situation. 

"  The  Spanish  Club,  ever  earnest  in  remedying  misfortune,  gave  liberal 
help  to  the  refugees  who  survived  from  our  ships  of  war.  Doubtless  the 
Civil  Commission  has  arranged  to  secure  supplies  for  the  city,  but  it  is  cer- 
tain that  since  Sunday  there  has  been  great  scarcity  of  everything,  and  specula- 
tors have  got  what  prices  they  cared  to  ask  for  articles  of  prime  necessity. 
Already  people  are  growing  calmer  and  the  shops  are  open,  and  it  is  to  be 
expected  that  Manila  will  go  on  resuming  her  usual  life  and  animation.  The 
great  masses  of  the  rural  population  of  the  Philippines,  as  well  as  the  leader 
of  the  nation,  have  responded  like  loyal  sons  of  Spain,  sharing  our  pains  and 
assisting  in  our  labors. 

"  The  Admiral,  Senor  Montojo,  has  received  a  telegram  of  congratula- 
tion from  the  Minister  of  Marine  who,  in  his  own  name,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Queen  of  Spain,  felicitates  the  Navy  of  this  Archipelago  for  gallant  be- 
havior on  the  day  of  Cavite.  These  are  the  terms  of  the  telegram  referred 
to :  '  Honor  and  glory  to  the  Spanish  Fleet  which  fought  so  heroically  in 
the  bay." 

"  After  two  days  of  silence,  in  which  our  paper  failed  to  see  the  light  by 
reason  of  exceptional  circumstances  occuring  at  Manila,  and  known  to  all  the 
public,  we  return  to  our  regular  issue  trusting  in  the  good  will  of  our  sub- 
scribers." 
*  *  *  ****** 

The  above  account  is  certainly  as  fair  as  could  be  expected  from  a 
Spaniard,  but  a  few  little  things  are  slightly  overdrawn.  For  instance,  in  one 
place  he  says  the  weakness  of  their  batteries  enables  us  to  do  as  much  harm 
as  we  chose.  No  doubt,  but  he  omits  to  say  that  only  a  few  days  before 
they  were  holding  high  carnival  in  anticipation  of  their  coming  victory 
over  us. 

Again,  he  seems  to  forget  that  the  days  of  boarding  men-o'-war,  are  over 
It  would  certainlv  be  a  poetical  climax  to  have  the  two  ships  going  do\*p 


STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  83 

together,  but  then  the  Spanish  always  were  a  poetical  race.  Further  he  goes 
on  to  say  that  we  used  incendiary  projectiles  "prohibited  by  the  laws  of  God 
and  man,"  which  either  shows  his  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  warfare  or  a  de- 
sire to  mislead  his  readers. 

That  they  fought  heroically  cannot  be  denied,  and  far  be  it  from  us  to 
belittle  their  bravery  in  this  action.  As  for  the  brave  soldier  of  the  Cazadores 
that  prayed  the  Virgin  Mary  would  turn  the  sea  into  land,  so  they  could 
charge  us  (thirty  thousand  men  against  about  sixteen  hundred),  we  will  quote 
the  remark  of  one  of  the  boys,  who  very  naively  said,  ' '  He'll  be  praying  for 
another  forty-day  flood  when  Merritt  and  his  troops  arrive." 

It  certainly  isn't  right  to  boast,  but  we  cannot  help  taking  this  oppor- 
tunity to  congratulate  the  other  ships  and  ourselves  on  the  coolness  and 
bravery  displayed  by  the  men  of  the  entire  fleet  in  this  their  first  experience 
in  real  warfare.  Of  course  after  the  first  gun  was  fired  and  the  eye  caught 
the  gleam  of  the  glorious  Stars  and  Stripes,  all  thoughts  of  self  were  lost  in 
the  one  resolve  that  that  flag  would  never  be  disgraced  by  any  act  of  theirs ; 
but  it  was  in  the  night  entering  the  hostile  harbor  amid  uncertain  dangers 
from  torpedo  and  mine ;  with  unseen  guns  frowning  down  upon  us  on  either 
hand,  each  moment  expecting  the  flash  of  a  gun  and  fierce  upheaval  of  a 
mine  to  herald  our  discovery  and  hurl  us  into  eternity,  that  the  strain  was 
greatest  and  each  man's  courage  was  tested  to  the  utmost. 

And  how  did  they  bear  themselves?  Like  Americans  and  veterans. 
Not  a  man  flinched,  and  we  feel  justified  in  writing  this  little  eulogy  on  our- 
selves. Eh,  shipmates  ? 

Rear  Admiral  George  Dewey. 

A  telegram  was  received  from  the  President  and  naval  authorities  at 
Washington,  thanking  Commodore  Dewey,  the  officers  and  men  of  this 
squadron  for  their  overwhelming  victory  and  brilliant  achievement  in  the 
battle  of  Manila  Bay. 

The  Commodore  also  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  Congress  in  the 
name  of  the  American  people  and  was  commissioned  Rear- Admiral,  dating 
from  May  tenth.  The  entire  fleet  join  in  congratulating  Admiral  Dewey  on 
his  appointment,  and  hope  it  will  prove  but  the  precursor  of  further  honors 
and  promotion. 

Captain  Charles  V.  Gridley. 

It  is  with  indescribable  sorrow  and  regret  that  we  hear  of  the  untimely 
death  of  our  beloved  captain,  Charles  V.  Gridley.  He  died  on  board  the 
O.  &.  O.  Steamer  Coptic,  at  Kobe,  Japan,  June  5th.  Owing  to  a  serious  ill- 


S4  STORIES   BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP. 

ness  he  was  ordered  home  on  sick-leave  taking  with  him  the  sincere  respect 
and  esteem  of  every  man  in  the  fleet. 

He  left  on  the  Zafiro,  escorted  to  sea  by  the  Concord,  amid  the  cheering 
of  the  entire  fleet.  He  was  taken  to  the  steamer  by  a  boat's  crew  of  officers 
with  First  Lieutenant  Reese  acting  as  coxswain.  The  news  of  his  death 
came  like  a  thunder-bolt,  filling  our  hearts  with  grief  and  pain.  We  respect- 
ally  extend  our  sincere  sympathy  to  his  relatives  and  friends. 

Gone  ahead,  to  the  Heavenly  land 

Across  the  mighty  River, 
Gone  to  join  the  angel  band, 

Gained  peace  and  joy  forever. 

There  was  a  poet  on  the  Olympia  who  wrote  some  inspiring  lines  that 
appeared  in  The  Bounding  Billow  and  are  here  reproduced. 

THE  MAINE. 
Like  a  thunderbolt,  the  dire  news  came, 

That  bowed  our  heads  in  sorrow, 
How  midst  a  mine's  fierce,  flashing  flame 

'Neath  the  walls  of  Castle  Morro, 

A  nation's  pride,  the  stately  Maine, 

On  peaceful  mission  bent, 
By  the  hands  of  murderous  sons  of  Spain 

Now  lying  wrecked  and  rent. 

Not  midst  the  battle's  stirring  blast, 

With  colors  proudly  flying, 
Nor  where  the  mighty  cannon  crashed 

O'er  cheers  of  heroes,  dying. 

'Twas  while  they  slept ;  'twas  time  of  peace 

For  proud  Columbia's  seamen  : 
When  treach'rous  hand  the  mine  released  ; 

Let  loose  the  fiery  demon. 

O  noble  ship  !  O  gallant  crew  1 

Thy  nation  mourns  its  loss. 
Beneath  Havana's  waters  blue, 

Thy  murdered  bodies  toss. 

But  Columbia's  heroes  true  and  brave, 

Avenge  thee,  beauteous  Maine. 
The  requiem  thundered  o'er  thy  grave 

Shall  sound  the  knell  of  Spain. 


STORIES    BY   OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP, 

A  monument  we'll  raise  to  thee : 
'Biding  token  of  our  sorrow, 
And  in  mem'ry  of  Spain's  infamy, 
It  shall  stand  o'er  Castle  Morro. 

L.  S.  YOUNG. 
THE  CURIO  FIENDS. 
They've  got  flags  and  scraps  of  iron 

Tomahawks  and  bay'nets  too, 
Soldier's  pants  without  the  lining 
'Mother's  got  a  woman's  shoe. 
They've  got  knives  marked  "  Mi  Amigo," 

Which  is  Spanish  for,  my  friend, 
Swords  and  daggers  marked  ' '  Toledo  " 

Which  a  Sandow  couldn't  bend. 
And  each  had  a  shot  or  shell 

Which  was  added  to  their  hoard, 
And  some  brought  them  for  to  sell 

To  the  suckers  left  on  board. 
There  was  lots  of  writing  paper 

And  O  !  sech  lots  o' tools! 
And  they  cut  full  many  a  caper 

A  guardin'  'em  like  jewels. 
One  had  a  big  ship's  bell 

Which  weighed  almost  a  ton, 
And  about  twenty  worked  like  (dash) 

And  got  a  three-inch  gun. 
A  blunderbuss  from  sixty-seven 

Which  adorned  some  mantle-piece, 
Old  socks  and  bits  o'  ribbon, 
And  a  box  of  axle  grease. 
There  were  Admiral's  flags  and  pennants 

That  numbered  o'er  a  score, 
All  from  the  "  R.  Cristina," 
Each  curio  hunter  swore  ; 
And  some  brought  off  a  coat  of  arms 

From  the  stately  Justice  Hall, 
And  others  took  the  mirrors 
That  hung  ag'in  the  wall. 
We  expect  to  see  more  actions 

'N  lots  o'  bloody  scenes, 
But  I'd  prefer  such  distractions 
To  the  crazy  Curio  Fiends. 

L.  S,  YOUMO. 


86  STORIES   BY  OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP, 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MANILA   BAY. 

What  sight  is  this  our  eyes  behold?     What  do  these  ships  of  war? 
Manned  by  Columbia's  seamen  bold,  they  speed  for  foemen's  shore 
For  news  had  come,  sad  news  and  dire,  of  brothers  cruelly  slain, 
And  Cuba's  woes  raised  heroes'  ire;  they  go,  to  war  with  Spain! 
And  as  they  leave  bleak  China  s  coast,  receding  fast  from  view, 
Determined  is  this  little  host,  to  fight  like  freemen  true. 

Two  days  upon  the  tropic  sea,  so  mighty,  calm  and  grand, 

Ere  close  beneath  our  squadron's  lee,  we  saw  the  enemy's  land. 

All  day  we  steamed  along  the  coast  and  scanned  eac  niche  and  bay} 

While  every  man  stood  at  his  post  impatient  for  the  fray. 

When  night,  a  pall-like  darkness  fell,  though  lightning  lit  the  skies, 

Their  forts  to  pass,  we  planned  it  well,  and  take  them  by  surprise. 

'Twas  midnight  when  our  vessels  boldly  passed  Corregidor 
For  where  Manila  calmly  nestles  on  fair  Luzon's  tropic  shore: 
And  guns  frowned  down  upon  us,  from  their  forts  on  either  hand, 
But  no  danger  could  deter  us,  not  their  might  on  sea  or  land. 
We  had  come  to  die  or  conquer,  to  avenge  the  sunken  "  Maine." 
Our  watch-word,  no  surrender  !     Our  war-cry,  down  with  Spain  / 

Calm  and  cool  broke  the  morning,  on  that  fateful  first  of  May, 
When  like  storm's  thund'rous  warning,  roared  a  shot  across  the  bay. 
But  why  that  mighty  cheering  !     Ev'ry  eye  is  turned  on  high, 
Where  our  banner  brightly  gleaming,  rainbow  radiance  in  the  sky : 
'Twas  "  Old  Glory  "  proudly  waving  that  cheered  each  patriot  breast, 
War's  fearful  dangers  braving,  to  free  a  race  oppressed. 

When  the  Spanish  ships  were  sighted,  stripped  like  warriors  for  the  fray, 

When  the  Sabbath  morn  was  lighted  and  battle's  thunder  woke  the  day, 

Every  man  stood  at  his  station,  grimly  waiting  the  command 

To  spread  death  and  devastation,  midst  the  foe  on  sea  and  land. 

As  we  closed  the  deadly  distance  and  six  Yankee  broadsides  bore, 

Brave  and  stubborn  their  resistance,  though  our  shells  swept  ships  and  shore, 

Five  times  we  passed.     A  fiery  line  that  rivaled  HeavVs  thunder, 
While  on  they  fought,  brav'ry  sublime,  though  ships  were  going  under 
Though  every  moment  seemed  their  last,  with  colors  proudly  flying. 
Amid  that  fiercely  raking  blast,  they  showed  no  fear  of  dying. 
Again  we  plunged  into  the  fight  and  with  one  mighty  blow 
Assured  the  victory  for  the  right ;  subdued  the  haughty  foe. 


STORIES   BY  OFFICERS   OF  THE   FLAGSHIP.  8? 

The  Spanish  colors  down  at  last !     Avenged  the  sunken  "  Maine  ! " 

Victorious  as  in  days  gone  past,  we've  conquered  cruel  Spain. 

We've  struck  a  blow  for  honor  and  to  set  a  nation  free : 

The  guns  beneath  our  banner  roared  the  knell  of  tyranny. 

Tell  the  story  to  our  nation,  to  the  people  brave  and  true, 

How  our  banner  brought  salvation,  with  the  gallant  "  Boys  in  Blue." 

T  shall  live  in  hist'ry's  pages  how  our  noble  squadron  sailed 

Where  thick  the  battle  rages  and  the  deadly  missiles  hailed, 

For  Spaniards,  arbitration  was  'mid  the  cannon *s  roar; 

We  were  fighting  for  a  nation  and  the  flag  we  all  adore. 

"Twa?  for  Cuba  and  our  honor,  to  avenge  our  heroes  slain, 

Tha>  victory  wreathed  our  banner  when  we  fought  the  ships  of  Spain. 

L.  S.  YOUNG, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Destruction  of  the  Spanish  Fleet  in  Manila  Bay. 

DDITIONAL  particulars  respecting  the  great  battle  of  Manila 
enable  the  reader  to  obtain  a  clear  idea  of  the  struggle  between 
our  squadron  and  the  Spanish  ships  commanded  by  Admiral 
Montojo.  All  details  of  the  conflict  serve  to  show  its  desperate 
character.  The  Spaniards  fought  bravely  ;  they  exhibited  no  lack  of  courage, 
and  this  only  renders  Dewey's  victory  more  brilliant. 

He  received  his  appointment  as  Commander  of  Asiatic  Squadron,  and 
reaching  Hong  Kong  as  soon  as  steam  could  carry  him,  raised  his  flag  on  the 
Olympia  on  January  3,  1898.  Before  his  departure  from  Washington  he  had 
experienced  no  little  trouble  in  finding  a  staff  willing  to  accompany  him — not 
that  officers  were  not  willing  to  serve  with  the  commodore,  but  they  saw 
greater  prospects  of  naval  glory  on  the  home  station.  There  were  two 
officers  to  whom  appointments  on  the  staff  were  offered  by  the  commodore 
and  declined.  These  men  afterward  regretted  the  chance  they  threw  aside  of 
being  present  in  a  big  naval  fight.  Yet  it  was  impossible  to  foresee  at  that 
time  what  service  our  navy  would  be  called  upon  to  render. 

Roosevelt's  Official  Dispatch  to  Dewey. 

On  i]ie  official  records  of  what  took  place  after  Commodore  Dewey  re- 
ceived his  first  orders,  it  is  shown  by  the  correspondence  with  Dewey  that,  by 
direction  cf  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Roosevelt  the  flagship  Olympia 
was  retained  in  the  Asiatic  station  after  she  had  been  ordered  home.  There 
has  been  much  discussion  in  naval  circles  as  to  whether  the  Olympia  had 
actually  been  directed  to  return  to  San  Francisco,  and  the  correspondence 
shows  that  she  was  so  directed.  On  February  25,  Secretary  Roosevelt  sent 
a  confidential  dispatch  to  Dewey,  in  which  he  said : 

"  Order  the  squadron,  except  Monocacy,  to  Hong  Kong.  Keep  full  of 
coal.  In  the  event  of  the  declaration  of  war  with  Spain  your  duty  will  be  to 
see  that  the  Spanish  squadron  does  not  leave  the  Asiatic  coast,  and  then 
offensive  operations  in  Philippine  Islands.  Keep  Olympia  until  further 
orders." 

A  footnote  by  the  Bureau  of  Navigation  says :  "  Olympia  has  had 
orders  to  proceed  to  the  United  States."  This  dispatch  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's 
88 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET.  89 

was  the  first  that  was  sent  by  our  government  in  regard  to  taking  the  Phil- 
ippines. 

After  war  was  regarded  as  a  foregone  conclusion  every  effort  was  made 
by  the  Navy  Department  to  equip  Commodore  Dewey's  fleet  with  coa^ 
ammunition  and  supplies.  Within  twenty-four  hours  after  the  wreck  of  the 
Maine  in  Havana  harbor,  ammunition  that  could  not  be  duplicated  in  all 
America  was  ordered  on  trains  that  had  the  right  of  way  to  San  Francisco. 
•There  these  explosives,  that  must  be  handled  as  carefully  as  the  mother  holds 
a  babe,  were  tenderly  transported  to  the  steady  old  warship  Mohican  and 
started  for  Honolulu. 

At  the  Hawaiian  port  they  were  again  as  hastily  as  possible  unloaded 
and  again  restored  on  the  Baltimore.  Every  solid  foot  of  the  Baltimore's 
magazines  was  filled,  and  400  tons  of  modern  munitions  were  secured  on  her 
decks.  She  was  also  filled  to  the  utmost  with  a  quantity  of  coal. 

Making  Necessary  Preparations. 

On  March  22,  thirty-four  days  after  the  Maine  disaster,  the  officers  and 
crew  of  the  Baltimore  mailed  their  farewell  letters  and  started  on  the  long 
sail  of  5,000  miles  to  Yokohama,  and  thence  to  Hong  Kong,  where  Dewey 
and  his  bluejackets  were  waiting  for  the  food  of  war.  While  Dewey  was 
filling  his  magazines  from  the  welcome  stores  of  the  Baltimore,  McKinley, 
and  Lee  were  calmly  but  safely  controlling  the  fierce  wrath  of  their  country- 
men, who  were  clamoring  for  the  shooting  to  begin.  As  the  last  obtainable 
ton  of  coal  sifted  down  on  the  deeply  hidden  decks  of  his  squadron,  Dewey 
was  ready  to  hoist  the  signals  on  his  flagship  and  steer  straight  for  Manila 
Bay. 

The  Pacific  fleet,  under  Commodore  George  Dewey,  had  been  anchored 
in  the  bay  at  Hong  Kong,  awaiting  instructions  from  Washington.  Imme- 
diately after  the  Congress  had  declared  war  telegraphic  orders  to  capture  or 
destroy  the  formidable  Spanish  fleet  then  assembled  at  Manila  were  sent  to 
Commodore  Dewey.  These  orders  had  hardly  reached  him  when  Great 
Britain  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality,  the  terms  of  which  compelled  him 
to  take  his  squadron  away  from  Hong  Kong,  a  British  port,  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  Accordingly,  he  took  his  ships  to  Mirs  Bay,  a  Chinese  port 
only  a  few  miles  away,  where  he  continued  the  preparations  for  battle  which 
he  had  begun  at  Hong  Kong.  These  preparations  completed  on  May  27 
Commodore  Dewey  set  sail  for  Manila  with  his  fleet. 

Early  on  Saturday  evening  of  April  30,  after  a  remarkably  quick  passage 
from  Mirs  Bay,  Commodore  Dewey  sighted  Corregidor  Island  at  the  entrance^ 
to  the  Bay  of  Manila.  Corregidor  was  known  to  him  to  be  well  fortified 


90  DESTRUCTION   OF   THE  SPANISH    FLEET. 


he  resolved  to  enter  the  bay  at  once.  It  was  now  10  o'clock  and  a  full 
moon  was  shining.  With  all  lights  out  the  squadron  steamed  into  the  bay 
with  the  crews  at  the  guns.  This  was  the  order  of  the  squadron,  which  was 
kept  during  the  whole  time  of  the  first  battle  :  The  flagship  Olympia,  the 


A  BILL 


Declaring  Tbat  War  Exists  Between  tlie  United  States  of  America  and 
the  Kingdom  of  Spain. 

1  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represents* 

2  lives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled* 
2          First—  That  -war  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  declared  to  exist, 

4  and  that  war  has  existed  since  the  21st  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1898, 

5  including  said  day,  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the 

6  Kingdom  of  Spain. 

7  Second—  Tbat  the  President  of  the  United  States  be  and  he 

8  is  hereby  directed  and  empowered  to  use  the  entire  land  and  naval. 

9  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  to  call  into  the  actual  service  of  the 

10  United  States  the  militia  of  the  several  States  to  such  extent  as 

11  may  be  necessary  to  carry  this  act  into  effect. 


Speaker  tf  th&  House  </  /&yn?«/rfa*  w* 


Wee-President  e/*/te  tintfed  Status  <u<L 


FAC-SIMILE  OF  AMERICA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

Baltimore,  the  Raleigh,  the  Petrel,  the  Concord,  the  Boston.  Not  until 
toward  morning  when  the  flagship  was  a  mile  beyond  Corregidor  Island  was 
a  gun  fired.  Then  one  heavy  shot  went  screaming  over  the  Raleigh  and 
Olympia,  followed  by  a  second,  which  fell  further  astern.  The  Raleigh,  the 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH    FLEET.  91 

Concord  and  the  Boston  replied,  the  Concord's  shells  exploding  apparently 
inside  the  shore  battery,  which  was  silenced. 

At  daybreak,  as  the  fleet  neared  Cavite,  two  powerful  submarine  mines 
exploded  with  terrific  noise  just  ahead  of  the  flagship.  The  Olympia  never 
faltered  in  her  course.  Commodore  Dewey,  who  was  on  the  deck  with 
Captain  Gridley,  remembered  Admiral  Farragut's  experience  with  torpedoes 
at  Mobile  Bay,  and  signaled  his  ships  to  never  mind  the  torpedoes,  but  to  steer' 

straight  ahead. 

Now  for  the  Thunder  of  Battle. 

The  real  battle  began  a  few  minutes  later.  The  shore  batteries  commenced 
simultaneously  with  the  shots  from  the  Spanish  fleet.  The  heat  was  intense. 
A  boatswain's  mate  cried  hoarsely.  "  Remember  the  Maine !  "  and  the  cry 
was  echoed  by  500  men  at  the  guns  on  the  American  vessels.  The  Olympia 
leading  the  way,  steered  for  the  centre  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  It  was  now 
nearly  7  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Spanish  fleet  faced  their  enemy^ 
flanked  by  the  Cavite  batteries  on  the  south. 

Admiral  Dewey,  cool-headed,  clear-eyed,  firm,  determined,  gave  the 
commander  of  the  flagship  the  order  to  commence  firing  in  six  brief  words 
that  will  go  down  through  all  the  ages  as  one  of  the  immortal  commands  of 
naval  history.  These  were  Dewey's  words : 

"  You  may  fire,  Gridley,  when  ready." 

There  were  several  sharp  cracks,  then  a  succession  of  deafening  roars, 
and  soon  a  cloud  of  smoke  lay  close  upon  the  waters.  The  American  ships 
were  moving  slowly,  flames  shooting  from  their  sides,  and  answering  flames 
leaping  from  the  Spanish  ships.  From  the  fact  that  the  American  ships 
were  alternately  advancing  and  retreating  in  the  course  of  their  manceuver- 
ings,  the  people  on  shore  were  under  the  impression  that  the  Yankees  were 
being  beaten.  At  7.30  A.  M.  there  was  a  lull.  The  wind  blew  away  the 
haze  and  smoke,  and  those  on  shore  saw  flames  burst  from  the  bow  of  the 
Reina  Cristina,  the  flagship  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  She  was  burning  fiercely 
when  Commodore  Dewey  ordered  his  vessels  to  withdraw,  to  replenish  the 
magazines  and  to  prepare  for  a  renewal  of  the  attack.  The  fleet  steamed 
down  the  bay  a  short  distance,  and  the  crews  took  advantage  of  the  lull  to 
get  breakfast  and  a  much-needed  rest.  Between  10  and  1 1  o'clock,  when 
the  Americans  returned  to  the  attack,  the  Spanish  Admiral  was  seen  to 
transfer  his  flag  from  the  burning  Cristina  to  the  Isla  de  Cuba.  Soon  after 
the  American  fire  was  renewed  the  Cuba  also  burst  into  flames,  and  with  two 
of  their  finest  warships  a  mass  of  fire,  confusion  followed  among  the  Spaniards. 
Shrieks  and  groans  from  the  wounded  filled  the  air,  while  on  each  vessel  the 
llecks  were  slippery  with  blood. 


92  DESTRUCTION   OF  THE   SPANISH   FLEET. 

At  11.30  the  Americans  had  silenced  the  batteries  of  Cavite,  and  ringing 
cheers  came  from  the  exhausted  but  triumphant  crews  of  Dewey's  vessels. 
The  great  battle  of  Manila  Bay  was  won,  and  to  American  heroes  was  added 
the  name  of  George  Dewey,  who  had  forced  his  way  through  forts  and  over 
mines  into  the  heart  of  a  hostile  harbor,  far  from  supplies  or  reinforcement 
and  fought  with  success  the  first  great  engagement  of  iron-clads  in  the  history 
of  the  world. 

In  the  afternoon  the  British  Consul  went  out  to  the  Olympia  and  asked 
that  Manila  be  not  bombarded.  Commodore  Dewey  sent  word  ashore  that 
he  surely  would  bombard  Manila  at  dawn  of  Monday  unless  the  Spaniards  sur- 
rendered all  their  torpedoes  and  all  their  guns  and  gave  him  control  of  the 
telegraph  and  cable  wires.  This  message  was  delivered  by  the  British  Consul 
to  Captain  General  Augusti  at  8  o'clock  on  Sunday  night.  His  answer  was  a 
prompt,  utter  refusal.  Commodore  Dewey  took  him  at  his  word,  and  during 
the  night  prepared  his  plans  for  the  important  events  that  the  morning  would 
bring  forth. 

All  Eyes  Turned  Toward  the  Hero. 

Almost  in  a  day  George  Dewey  became  the  popular  hero  of  two  conti- 
nents. There  is,  perhaps,  no  parallel  instance  in  American  history  of  a  great 
reputation  so  quickly  made.  Other  military  and  naval  commanders  in  the 
other  wars  have  come  rapidly  to  the  front,  but  with  them  there  was  some 
battle  of  minor  importance  or  the  gradually  spreading  publicity  of  a  campaign. 
There  has  never  been  another  who  in  a  single  day  sprang  so  dramatically 
from  comparative  obscurity  to  fame,  world-wide  and  far-reaching.  "One 
cannot  calculate,"  declared  James  B.  Eustis,  ex-Ambassador  of  the  United 
States  to  France,  "  the  enhancement  of  American  prestige  and  power  that 
Dewey  has  brought  about.  He  has  taught  the  European  nations  that  if  we 
can  slaughter  our  pigs  in  peace  we  can  also  slaughter  our  enemies  in  war. 
Our  statesmen  for  a  century  have  debated  whether  it  was  desirable  for  the 
United  States  to  acquire  territory.  Admiral  Dewey  has  settled  the  question. 
He  has  conquered  a  large  foreign  territory,  and  I  am  afraid  he  has  given 
Uncle  Sam  a  strong  appetite  for  that  sort  of  food. " 

During  the  latter  part  of  May  and  early  in  June  Admiral  Dewey  main- 
tained constant  vigilance.  Picket-boats,  manned  by  blue-jackets  and  equipped 
with  machine  guns,  were  kept  circling  about  each  vessel  every  night.  Every 
Igun  of  the  secondary  battery  on  each  ship  was  manned,  and  one  man  of  the 
gun  crew  watched,  while  the  others  kept  within  easy  reach.  All  guns  could 
be  brought  into  action  in  half  a  minute.  Powerful  searchlights  were 
active  from  nightfall  until  sunrise,  and  men  followed  the  broad  lines  of  lighf 
with  powerful  glasses.  Any  approaching  vessel  discovered  by  a  searchligh* 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH    FLEET.  93 

was  instantly  fixed  by  all  the  searchlights,  and  this  concentration  of  light 
drew  all  the  picket-boats  into  its  wake.  If  a  strange  boat  was  seen  she  was 
immediately  ordered  to  come  to,  and  woe  betide  her  if  the  order  was  not 
instantly  obeyed.  There  had  been  no  hostile  act  after  the  Spanish  flag  was 
pulled  down  May  1st.  The  notice  sent  by  Admiral  Dewey  to  the  Governor 


MANILA  HARBOR— SCENE  OF  THE  GREAT  BATTLE. 

General  of  Manila  that  any  act  of  hostility  would  be  followed  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city  had  borne  good  results. 

Early  in  July  the  Spanish  power  in  the  Philippines  began  tc  crumble. 
The  insurgents  closed  in  on  the  city  of  Manila,  and  fired  on  Malate,  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  centre  of  the  place  containing  the  fort,  magazine,  tele- 
graph office  and  club  house.  Within  the  city  the  Spanish  troops  were  in  a 
pitiable  state. 


94  DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

Meanwhile  the  actions  of  the  German  warships,  which  had  been  in  the  bay 
since  shortly  after  the  victory  of  the  American  squadron,  began  to  excite  much' 
interest  and  considerable  irritation  among  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Ameri- 
can warships.  Admiral  Dewey  was  constantly  receiving  reports  that  the 
Germans  were  not  observing  an  attitude  of  strict  neutrality,  but  were  doing 
what  they  could  in  an  underhand  manner  to  offset  the  conditions  created  by 
the  blockade  of  Manila.  According  to  these  reports,  they  were  assisting  the 
Spaniards  by  landing  flour  and  other  supplies  from  their  warships.  Deserters 
from  the  Spanish  lines  told  of  seeing  German  officers  in  the  Spanish  trenches, 
where  they  were  giving  information  as  to  the  better  strengthening  of  the 
defenses  and  otherwise  making  themselves  useful  to  the  enemies  of  the 
Americans. 

One  of  the  regulations  established  by  Admiral  Dewey  was  that  no  boats 
would  be  permitted  to  move  about  the  bay  after  dark.  The  Germans  were 
well  aware  of  this  regulation,  but  several  times  they  deliberately  disregarded 
it.  One  night  a  German  launch  was  discovered  prowling  about  the  bay.  A 
searchlight  was  turned  upon  it,  and  for  over  an  hour  the  boat  was  kept  under 
the  light,  while  its  every  action  was  closely  scrutinized.  Finally  Admiral 
Dewey  sent  a  boat  to  the  launch,  and  asked,  in  a  manner  that  admitted  of  no 
misunderstanding,  that  there  be  no  movements  of  boats  or  vessels  in  the  bay 
at  night  without  his  knowledge. 

Surrender  of  Manila. 

The  first  transports  with  reinforcements  had  arrived  at  Manila  on  June 
3Oth,  and  on  July  26th  Major  General  Merritt  arrived  with  additional  troops. 
On  August  7th  General  Merritt  and  Admiral  Dewey  sent  an  ultimatum  to  the 
Spanish  commander,  and  after  diplomatic  delays  the  final  surrender  of  the 
city  was  made  by  agreement,  whereby  Governor-General  Jaudenez  was  per- 
mitted to  make  a  show  of  resistance  to  save  the  honor  of  Spain.  The 
admiral's  vessels  fired  a  few  shots,  and  the  soldiers  advanced  with  a  small  loss 
of  life  before  the  surrender  was  actually  accomplished. 

A  long  period  of  inactivity  followed  the  surrender  of  Manila  and  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  the  meeting  of  the  Peace  Commissioners  in  Paris  added 
another  long  period  of  inactivity  to  Admiral  Dewey's  fleet.  Now,  no  longer 
called  upon  to  do  battle,  the  great  ships  oi  the  squadron  perform  police  duty 
among  the  many  islands  in  the  new  Dewey  group. 

During  the  long  winter  of  1898-9  Admiral  George  Dewey  continued  his 
diplomatic  watchfulness  of  affairs  in  Philippine  waters.  The  position  in 
which  he  was  placed  was  not  an  easy  one.  He  was  called  upon  to  solve 
many  difficult  problems. 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE   SPANISH   FLEET.  95 

By  the  1st  of  January,  1899,  the  government  had  taken  prompt  and  ener- 
getic action  in  sending  reinforcements  to  Admiral  Dewey.  The  battleship 
Oregon,  with  colliers  and  supply  vessels,  was  well  on  the  way  to  Manila  before 
Christmas.  On  January  lith  the  gunboat  Princeton  left  the  Brooklyn  Yard 
for  Manila,  and  was  followed  by  the  hospital  ship  Solace.  The  gunboat 
Helena  was  also  sent  to  the  Philippines,  by  way  of  the  Suez  Canal,  and  the 
same  route  was  taken  later  by  the  Castine.  The  auxiliary  cruiser  Buffalo  was 
also  dispatched  by  the  Mediterranean  route  to  join  Admiral  Dewey,  with  mer 
and  supplies. 

A  few  days  before  the  outbreak  of  the  rebels  occurred  in  February, 
Admiral  Dewey  sent  word  that  the  monitor  Monadnock  was  guarding  one  end 
of  the  city,  the  Monterey  the  other,  while  the  army  protected  the  rear.  He 
had  sent  word  to  the  insurgent  chief,  Aguinaldo,  that  if,  accidentally,  the 
insurgents  entered  Manila  he  would  reduce  it  to  mortar  and  stone. 

President  McKinley  Honors  the  Admiral. 

Our  Congress  was  quick  to  express  the  grateful  feeling  of  the  nation 
toward  the  Admiral,  the  action  being  prompted  by  the  following  message 
from  President  McKinley  under  date  of  May  9th,  1898  : 

To  the  Congress  of  the  United  States :  On  the  24th  of  April  I  directed 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  telegraph  orders  to  Commodore  George  Dewey, 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  commanding  the  Asiatic  squadron  then  lying 
in  the  port  of  Hong  Kong,  to  proceed  forthwith  to  the  Philippine  Islands, 
there  to  commence  operations  and  engage  the  assembled  Spanish  fleet. 

Promptly  obeying  that  order  the  United  States  squadron,  consisting  of 
the  flagship  Olympia,  Baltimore,  Raleigh,  Boston,  Concord  and  Petrel,  with 
the  revenue  cutter  McCulloch  as  an  auxiliary  dispatch  boat,  entered  the 
harbor  of  Manila  at  daybreak  on  the  1st  of  May  and  immediately  engaged 
the  entire  Spanish  fleet  of  eleven  ships,  which  were  under  the  protection  of 
the  fire  of  the  land  forts.  After  a  stubborn  fight,  in  which  the  enemy  suffered 
great  loss,  these  vessels  were  destroyed  or  completely  disabled  and  the  water 
battery  at  Cavite  silenced.  Of  our  brave  officers  and  men  not  one  was  lost 
and  only  eight  injured,  and  those  slightly.  All  of  our  ships  escaped  any 
serious  damage. 

By  the  4th  of  May  Commodore  Dewey  had  taken  possession  of  the 
naval  station  at  Cavite,  destroying  the  fortifications  there  and  at  the  entrancr 
of  the  bay  and  paroling  their  garrisons.  The  waters  of  the  bay  arc  unde/ 
his  complete  control.  He  has  established  hospitals  within  the  AmerKan 
lines,  where  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Spanish  sick  and  wounded  art 
assisted  and  protected. 


96  DESTRUCTION   OF   THE   SPANISH    FLEET. 

The  magnitude  of  this  victory  can  hardly  be  measured  by  the  ordinary 
standards  of  naval  warfare.  Outweighing  any  material  advantage  is  the 
moral  effect  of  this  initial  success.  At  this  unsurpassed  achievement  the 
great  heart  of  our  nation  throbs,  not  with  boasting  or  with  greed  of  conquest, 
but  with  deep  gratitude  that  this  triumph  has  come  in  a  just  cause  and  that 
by  the  grace  of  God  an  effective  step  has  thus  been  taken  toward  the  attain- 
ment of  the  wished-for  peace.  To  those  whose  skill,  courage  and  devotion 
have  won  the  fight,  to  the  gallant  commander  and  the  brave  officers  and  men 
who  aided  him,  our  country  owes  an  incalculable  debt. 

Feeling  as  our  people  feel  and  speaking  in  their  name  I  at  once  sent  a 
message  to  Commodore  Dewey,  thanking  him  and  his  officers  and  men  for 
their  splendid  achievement  and  overwhelming  victory  and  informing  him  that 
I  had  appointed  him  an  acting  rear-admiral. 

I  now  recommend  that  following  our  national  precedents  and  expressing 
the  fervent  gratitude  of  every  patriotic  heart  the  thanks  of  Congress  be  given 
Acting  Rear-Admiral  George  Dewey,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  for  highly 
distinguished  conduct  in  conflict  with  the  enemy,  and  to  the  officers  and  men 
under  his  command  for  their  gallantry  in  the  destruction  of  the  enemy's  fleet 
and  the  capture  of  the  enemy's  fortifications  in  the  Bay  of  Manila. 

WILLIAM  McKiNLEY. 

Congress  Expresses  the  Thanks  of  the  Nation. 

The  following  is  the  joint  resolution  offering  the  thanks  of  Congress  to 
Admiral  Dewey  passed  unanimously  by  both  branches  of  Congress  yesterday: 

Joint  resolution  tendering  the  thanks  of  Congress  to  Commodore  George 
Dewey,  U.  S.  N.,  and  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  squadron  under  his 
command. 

Resolved,  By  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled,  that  in  pursuance  of  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  President,  made  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
section  1,508  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  the  thanks  of  Congress  and  the  Amer- 
ican people  are  hereby  tendered  to  Commodore  George  Dewey,  U.  S.  N., 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Asiatic  station,  for  highly  distinguished  conduct 
in  conflict  with  the  enemy  as  displayed  by  him  in  the  destruction  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  and  batteries  in  the  harbor  of  Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  May  i, 
1898  : 

Section  2.  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  and  of  the  American  people  are 
hereby  extended  through  Commodore  Dewey  to  the  officers  and  men  under 
his  command,  for  the  gallantry  and  skill  exhibited  by  them  on  that  occasion. 

Section  3.  Be  it  further  resolved,  that  the  President  of  the  United  States 


DR.    JULIUS    VfcMANS    DEWEY 

FATHER   OF   ADMIRAL   GEORGE   DEWEY 


GEORGE    DEWEY    AT    THE    AGE    OF    34 


*a~    0> 

81 


SHIPS    OF    THE 


TATES    NAVY 


NATIVE    FILIPINO    FLOWER    GIRL 


THE    FAMOUS    SKULL-PIT    NEAR    MANILA 

IT  IS  THE  CUSTOM  TO  THROW  THE  DEAD  BODIES  OF  PAUPERS  TOGETHER  IN  / 

HEAP,  LEAVING  THEM  TO  DECAY,  THEIR  BONES  PRESENTING 

A  GHASTLY  SPECTACLE 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FLEET.  97 

be  requested  to  cause  this  resolution  to  be  communicated  to  Commodore 
Dewey  and  through  him  to  the  officers  and  men  under  his  command. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  President  speaks  of  Dewey  as  Acting  Rear 
Admiral  and  Congress  calls  him  Commodore.  His  naval  rank  at  this  time 
was  that  of  Commodore,  but  he  was  made  Acting  Rear  Admiral,  and  subse- 
quently upon  recommendation  was  elevated  to  the  rank  of  Admiral,  the 
highest  position  in  the  navy,  which  is  his  exclusive  title. 

It  is  conceded  by  persons  who  are  well  informed  that  Governor  Roose- 
velt, Assistant  Secretary  of  our  Navy  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  and 
afterward  commander  of  the  Rough  Riders  at  Santiago,  was  the  first  to  sug- 
gest that  Dewey  be  placed  in  command  of  the  Asiatic  Squadron.  Dewey 
foresaw  before  he  went  to  his  post  in  the  Pacific  that  his  chance  had  come, 
and  said  so  just  before  he  left  Washington.  One  account  of  it  is  given  by  a 
naval  officer,  a  captain,  who  gave  Dewey  a  farewell  dinner. 

"  I  had  Dewey  at  dinner  with  me  on  board  my  ship.  Over  the  cigars  he 
got  to  talking  reminiscently.  Then  he  looked  ahead  and  brightened  up. 
4  My  chance  has  come,'  he  said,  'and  I  owe  it  largely  to  Theodore  Roose- 
velt. Why  he  took  such  an  interest  in  my  application  I  don't  know,  for, 
though  he  was  a  friend  of  mine,  we  never  were  very  intimate,  and  he  seems 
to  be  the  friend  of  the  whole  navy.  There  were  three  applicants,  you  know, 
and  my  claim  wasn't  the  best.  Some  opposition  arose,  but  the  Assistant 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  overcame  it,  and  I  go.' 

"  Then  Dewey  leaned  back  and  said :  '  You  know  Farragut  didn't  get 
his  chance  till  he  was  over  sixty,  but  he  took  it  and — '  Dewey  stopped  and 
broke  out  in  a  laugh,  as  if  to  say,  '  But  what  nonsense  this  is  we  are  talking 
about  Farragut  and  me.'  *' 

Was  the  Choice  of  Colonel  Roosevelt. 

Commodore  Howell  and  Captain  Matthews  were  the  two  other  appli- 
cants for  the  Asiatic  Squadron,  and  they  both  ranked  Dewey.  The  matter 
was  talked  over  in  November  some  time.  Mr.  Roosevelt  believed  then  that 
war  was  coming,  and  no  one  else  did.  He  wanted  the  hardest  fighter  he 
could  get  for  the  Pacific,  for  there,  he  predicted,  hard  fighting  would  have  to 
be  done.  So  he  urged  Dewey.  "  That  dude !  "  they  said.  "  No  matter,"  said 
Roosevelt.  "  I  know  he  will  fight.  I  want  a  man  there  who  will  take 
Manila." 

A  friend  of  Mr.  Roosevelt  asked  him  once  how  he  knew  Dewey,  whom 
many  other  people  took  for  a  mere  dude,  gentle,  refined,  easy-going ;  how  he 
recognized  in  him  the  fighter  he  sought.  The  Rough  Rider's  answer  was 
characteristic.  He  leaned  forward,  screwed  his  eyebrows  down  and  shewed 


m  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FLEET. 

his  teeth  as  he  said :    "You  can  always  tell  a  fighter  by  looking  into  hiS 
eyes." 

But  Mr.  Roosevelt  performed  another  service  for  Dewey.  This  is  not  so 
well  known.  Having  gotten  Dewey  his  chance,  he  saw  to  it  that  it  was  not 
lost  to  him.  When  it  became  necessary  to  order  the  Asiatic  Squadron  away 
from  Hong  Kong  on  account  of  the  neutrality  laws,  which  would  close  Eng- 
land's hospitality  to  us,  it  was  proposed  to  direct  Dewey  to  "  proceed  to 
Manila,  reconnoitre  for  the  Spanish  fleet  and  blockade  the  port."  It  was  part 
of  the  original  war  policy  to  blockade  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines. 
That  made  Mr.  Roosevelt  angry,  and  he  and  the  fighters  in  the  administration 
opposed  it  with  all  their  might.  They  were  overreached  on  the  Atlantic  for 
awhile,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  gain  much  on  the  Pacific. 

"Dewey  will  Know  what  That  Means." 

Mr.  Roosevelt  wanted  the  cable  to  Dewey  to  read:  "  Go  to  Manila  and 
smash  the  Spanish  fleet."  He  said  it  was  necessary  to  take  Manila  to  get 
coal.  But,  of  course,  that  order  did  not  pass.  Then  the  fighters  got  their 
heads  together  and  suggested  as  a  compromise  that  Dewey  be  directed  to  sail 
to  Manila  and  proceed  "  according  to  military  rules,"  or  some  such  vague 
phrase  as  that.  It  was  about  the  time  there  was  so  much  talk  about  hamper- 
ing commanders,  and  Mr.  Roosevelt  said  that  would  not  hamper  Dewey.  To 
his  fighting  friends  he  said :  I  know  Dewey,  and  you  can  bet  Dewey  will 
know  what  that  phrase  means." 

A  further  account  of  the  battle  of  Manila  from  one  of  the  men  behind 
the  guns,  possesses  special  interest.  William  G.  Kramer,  of  Danville,  Pa., 
received  a  letter  from  his  son  which  gave  a  very  excellent  account  of  the 
battle,  the  more  especially  as  it  described  personal  experiences.  Frank  N. 
Kramer,  the  son,  was  on  the  Petrel,  which  took  a  big  part  in  the  battle,  and 
after  giving  the  familiar  details  relative  to  the  movements  of  the  fleet  previous 
to  the  battle,  he  says : 

"  It  was  without  exception  the  greatest  and  most  selemn  moment  of  my 
life,  and  I  had  ample  time  to  think  and  realize  it  all  while  momentarily 
expecting  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  You  know  what  the  suspense  before  the  battle 
Js,  that  time  of  dreadful  waiting,  which  every  soldier  so  fears  and  detests.  I 
have  often  heard  veterans  tell  of  it,  but  now  I  know  it,  and  the  memory  of  it 
will  always  stay  with  me,  and  when  I  get  to  be  an  old  and  decrepit  man  it 
will  be  as  vivid  and  real  as  it  was  that  May  day  morning  in  the  tropics. 

"While  we  still  looked  the  first  faint  flush  of  dawn  came,  and  we  dis- 
covered the  ships  we  were  heading  for  to  be  a  fleet  of  merchantmen,  sailing 
ships  of  all  nations ;  drawn  up  there  out  of  the  line  of  fire.  The  flagship 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET.  99 

immediately  put  about  and  headed  to  the  southwest,  and  then,  the  light 
becoming  rapidly  brighter,  we  saw  the  Spaniards  and  their  men-of-war  drawn 
up  in  line  of  battle,  well  up  in  front  of  the  fortifications  of  Cavite.  There 
appeared  to  be  about  eight  ships,  some  at  anchor  and  some  moving  slowly 
along  the  shore  while  others  were  seen  in  the  little  harbor  by  the  navy-yard. 
«  "  The  flagship  headed  directly  for  them,  the  rest  following  as  before. 
When  we  were  within  two  and  a  half  miles  of  them  they  opened  fire,  which 
was  answered  instantly  by  the  flagship  and  Concord.  Their  shots  all  fell  a 
thousand  yards  short.  The  skipper  says,  '  By  gosh,  this  looks  like  business, 
Wood/  and  sang  out  to  sound  quarters.  In  a  minute  every  one  in  the  fleet 
was  at  his  station,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  every  mast  and  peak  in  the  ships, 
and  the  ball  was  going  merrily  on.  We  manceuvered,  up  one  side  and  down 
the  other,  like  the  Virginia  Reel.  It  was  beautiful,  and  worked  like  clock- 
work, not  a  hitch  anywhere. 

Riddled  from  Stem  to  Stern. 

"  The  range  was  given  by  the  navigator  in  the  foretrucks  to  me,  and  I 
passed  it  aft  to  the  6-inch  guns  and  secondary  batteries.  It  ranged  from  1800 
to  2000  yards.  In  a  short  time  we  saw  one  ship  on  fire,  the  Reina  Cristina, 
their  most  formidable  cruiser.  She  started  to  come  toward  us,  but  a  6-inch 
shell  from  us  and  an  8-inch  from  the  Olympia  burst  her  boilers  and  gutted 
her  from  stem  to  stern.  The  Spanish  bravely  fought  her  after  she  was  on 
fire.  One  hundred  and  fifty  men,  including  her  captain,  were  killed  by  those 
two  shots.  We  kept  up  the  firing  for  over  two  hours,  then  hauled  off  on 
account  of  the  smoke  ;  it  was  so  hot  and  sultry  that  it  hung  on  the  water  in 
vast  clouds  and  hid  the  shore  from  sight. 

"  We  could  not  tell  the  effect  of  our  fire  very  well  on  account  of  the  dis- 
tance. Their  fire  was  coming  from  their  ships  and  forts  ;  also  from  their  bat- 
teries, away  over  at  Manila.  While  it  was  rapid  and  constant  it  took  no 
effect,  either  going  over  our  heads  or  falling  far  short.  They  seemed  unable 
to  get  our  range,  while  we  had  no  trouble  in  finding  them.  Our  ship  did 
exceptionally  good  shooting,  and  as  our  vessels  passed  each  other  on  their 
way  to  and  fro  we  would  cheer  and  yell  like  demons.  We  improved  the 
time  by  eating  a  hasty  breakfast,  while  the  enemy  kept  up  a  desultory  fire, 
doing  no  damage.  Three  of  their  ships  were  on  fire  and  sinking,  while  the 
others  that  were  able  to  steam  were  making  for  the  little  harbor  back  of  the 
navy-yard,  which  afforded  them  some  protection  and  allowed  them  to  fire 
over  the  mole  at  us,  while  the  forts  and  batteries  in  Cavite  could  keep  up  their 
fire  without  fear  of  hitting  them. 

w  Commanding   officers   went   aboard  the   flagship,   and    at    11.30  the 


100  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

captain  returned  and  said  :  '  Well,  we  are  going  inside ;  one  bold  move  will 
do  the  trick  now,  and  we  are  going  to  make  it.  Don't  waste  a  shot,  and 
make  every  one  tell.'  We  were  waiting  to  hear  from  the  captain  what 
damage  had  been  done  to  our  ships  and  went  wild  when  he  told  us  that  not 
one  drop  of  American  blood  had  been  shed  as  yet,  and  that  the  only  hits  were 
one  on  the  Olympia,  hardly  making  a  mark,  one,  a  six-pounder,  through  the 
Baltimore's  wardroom  eight  feet  above  waterline,  doing  no  damage — just 
passed  in  one  side  and  out  the  other,  and  was  still  going,  while  we  were  not 

touched. 

A  Big  Shell  Explodes  Near. 

"  But  one  big  shell  struck  about  thirty  feet  off  our  starboard  bow  and 
threw  the  water  as  high  as  the  foremast,  drenching  every  one  in  that  part  of 
the  ship,  for  which  they  were  very  thankful,  for  it  was  awfully  hot ;  another 
one  struck  twenty  yards  off  the  starboard  beam,  ricocheted  right  ov  er  the 
ship  and  alighted  fifty  yards  on  the  other  side,  while  we  could  hear  that 
awful  scream  continually  over  our  heads.  After  the  first  few  shots  the  men 
acted  as  though  they  were  at  drill,  no  confusion  of  any  kind,  and  every  one 
did  his  duty  without  exception.  We  worked  hard  and  quickly,  and  the  cap- 
tain, in  complimenting  us  a  day  or  so  afterward,  said  that  '  there  was  not 
nearly  so  much  noise  and  confusion  as  at  general  quarters  in  a  peaceful  port. 
It  was  like  target  practice,  only  the  target  was  firing  back.'  At  1 1.45  we  got 
under  way  and  stood  in  for  Cavite,  the  Baltimore  leading  by  request  of  her 
captain,  who  is  an  old  war  horse  and  a  volunteer  officer,  one  of  the  very  few 
left  in  the  navy.  (A  favorite  expression  of  his  in  speaking  to  or  correcting 
an  officer  is  :  '  You  fellows  came  through  the  Naval  Academy  with  $30,000 
worth  of  education  to  back  you  up ;  I  came  through  the  hawser  pipe,  but  I 
know  better  than  that.') 

"  In  the  meantime  the  Concord  had  started  off  to  the  north  after  a  crippled 
steamer,  which  was  trying  to  make  her  way  over  to  Manila  for  protection,  still 
keeping  up  a  steady  fire.  The  Baltimore  started  out,  heading  directly  for  the 
southern  end  of  the  sand  pits;  she  kept  steaming  in  until  she  was  within  1200 
yards  of  the  shore,  then  turned  her  big  broadside  on  and  steamed  slowly  and 
steadily  along,  almost  creeping,  her  big  guns  booming  with  lightning-like 
rapidity  and  making  fearful  havoc  among  the  shore  batteries,  which  were  re- 
turning shot  for  shot,  which  struck  all  around  her.  We  were  expecting  to 
see  her  sunk  before  our  eyes  every  minute,  but  she  kept  on  and  on,  keeping 
up  her  fire  as  steadily  as  before. 

"  Oh,  the  grandeur,  the  glory  of  it !  To  see  that  shipful  of  brave  men, 
under  the  most  galling  fire  the  Spaniards  put  up  during  the  whole  day  was  a 
sight  fit  for  gods  to  look  upon. 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET.  101 

"  My  life  up  to  now  has  been  of  little  use  to  any  one,  and  myself  least  of 
all ;  but  after  witnessing  that  glorious  spectacle  I  feel  and  know  that  I  have 
not  lived  in  vain,  and  that  it  was  worth  a  whole  lifetime  to  see  what  we  saw 
that  day  at  Manila.  At  one  time  her  motion  was  hardly  perceptible,  and  we 
felt  sure  she  was  fatally  struck,  but  no,  she  kept  on  to  the  end.  The  Olympia 
had  started  after  her  in  her  very  tracks,  and  the  Petrel  after  the  Olympia. 
We  came  along  just  as  she  did,  but,  although  the  firing  from  the  fortifications 
was  still  lively,  the  worst  of  it  had  been  silenced  by  Captain  Dyer,  of  the 
Baltimore. 

A  Ship  Fighting  all  Alone. 

"  Our  ship  stood  in  until  within  800  yards  of  the  shore,  and  stopped  and 
blazed  away,  all  alone,  until  the  Spanish  flags  had  been  hauled  down  and  a 
flag  I  had  never  seen  before,  the  white  flag,  hoisted  in  their  places  on  the 
government  fortifications.  Our  captain,  from  his  place  on  the  bridge,  turned 
around  to  his  crew,  who  were  all  blacker  and  dirtier  than  the  worst  tramp 
you  ever  saw,  some  undressed,  scarcely  a  rag  on  them  ;  others  covered  with 
rags,  their  clothes  torn  and  burnt  by  powder,  sweat  running  down  their  faces  ; 
the  decks  covered  and  littered  with  all  kinds  of  battle  gear,  ammunition  and 
soot — but  no  blood.  The  officers  were  no  better  off  than  the  men,  every  one 
as  deaf  as  a  post,  but  happy,  gloriously  happy.  Each  of  us  wore  a  gleam 
on  our  black,  dirty  faces  not  often  seen. 

"  The  captain  yelled  out,  'You  did  nobly,  my  lads,  damme,  I'm  proud  of 
you,  that's  what  I  am — proud  of  you !  Boatswain,  pipe  all  hands  to  splice 
the  main  brace ; '  then  followed  something  I  had  never  seen  before.  The 
doctor  and  apothecary  brought  up  two  gallons  of  whiskey  and  we  fell  in  line, 
officers  and  all,  and  we  got  a  stiff  jolt.  It  was  against  the  rules  of  the  blue 
book,  but  we  needed  it,  and  that  badly,  for  we  were  exhausted  from  heat  and 
hard  work,  smoke  and  lack  of  proper  food. 

"  After  we  had  rested  a  few  minutes  the  captain  called  for  volunteers  to 
man  the  first  whaleboat  to  go  ashore  and  set  fire  to  the  remaining  ships.  Of 
course  every  one  wanted  to  go.  I  was  among  the  first,  and  pleaded  so  piti- 
fully that  he  laughed  and  said,  '  Yes,  orderly,  you  had  a  pretty  hard  time  of 
it  to-day,  so  take  off  your  belt  and  get  a  rifle  and  get  in  the  boat.'  I  had 
worn  a  web  belt  loaded  with  ten  pounds  of  cartridges  all  day  and  was  played 
out,  but  that  whiskey  put  life  in  me  for  anything.  Well,  we  got  away  from 
the  ship  with  ten  men  and  Mr.  Hughes,  executive  officer,  in  charge.  The 
ship  covered  our  landing,  about  200  yards  from  shore.  When  we  got  there 
we  landed  and  were  immediately  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Spanish  naval 
and  army  officers  and  hundreds  of  blue-jackets  from  their  ships ;  dead  and 
wounded  were  being  carried  around  everywhere  on  stretchers. 


102  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

a  We  were  at  the  navy  yard,  near  the  arsenal  buildings.  Every  one  was 
Jaboring  under  the  most  intense  excitement,  and  the  officers  almost  hysterical. 
They  saluted  us  with  both  hands,  and  it  was  some  time  before  we  could  make 
ourselves  understood.  Then  one,  who  appeared  to  be  the  officer  in  command^ 
introduced  himself  to  Mr.  Hughes  and,  after  searching  his  pockets  in  vain 
for  a  card,  tore  off  his  epaulets  and  presented  them  with  a  bow.  Mr.  Hughes 
told  them  that  he  had  come  over  to  burn  those  ships  lying  in  there ;  then  a 
howl  went  up,  '  No,  no,  Senor,  no,  no  ! '  He  told  them  if  they  intended  to 
fire  on  them  he  would  return  to  the  ship.  They  made  haste  to  say,  '  No,  no/ 
again.  *  Then/  said  he,  '  I  am  going  to  carry  out  our  orders/ 

Hunting  for  a  Lost  Admiral. 

"  They  wanted  him  to  wait  until  they  hunted  up  their  admiral,  who  had 
disappeared  (and,  by  the  way,  has  not  turned  up  yet),  but  he  said  he  had  no 
time,  and  we  shoved  off  to  the  Isla  de  Cuba  and  went  aboard.  She  showed 
signs  of  having  been  fought  in  the  forenoon,  riddled  with  small  shot,  such  as 
three  and  six-pounders  and  thirty-seven  millimeter.  Her  guns  had  been 
made  useless  by  throwing  the  breech  plugs  overboard  when  she  was  abandoned. 
Everything  was  left  just  as  it  was  when  she  was  fighting,  lots  of  blood  but 
nobody  aboard,  except  a  monkey  and  a  cat,  which  we  brought  off  with  us. 
We  went  from  ship  to  ship,  Isla  de  Cuba,  Luzon,  General  Lezo,  Marquis  del 
Luero  and  Don  Juan  of  Austria.  The  latter  had  some  officers  aboard,  who 
had  followed  us  from  shore,  and  when  we  boarded  her  they  begged  pitifully 
to  spare  this  one,  for  she  was  a  beauty  sure  enough,  but  we  had  our  orders  to 
burn  and  destroy  and  we  carried  them  out  to  the  letter. 

"  Before  5  P.  M.  seven  handsome  ships  were  blazing  away,  and  two  days 
later  nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  Spanish  fleet  but  a  few  burnt  masts  stick- 
ing dismally  and  forlornly  out  of  the  -water,  a  resting  place  for  weary  sea 
gulls  and  fish  hawks.  All  the  ships  we  boarded  were  elegantly  and  luxuri- 
ously furnished.  In  some  of  them  the  mess  gear  had  been  spread  and 
eatables  and  wine  were  littered  around  the  decks  in  profusion.  We  procured 
a  great  many  curios,  but  none  of  real  value,  as  the  lieutenant  would  not  let 
us  take  anything  bulky.  I  procured  some  letters,  charts  and  photographs, 
and  on  the  Don  Juan  saw  a  package  of  letters  on  the  captain's  desk  and 
stood  there  and  tore  the  stamps  off  the  envelopes  for  Walter.  The  other  men 
got  swords,  revolvers,  rifles,  but  don't  know  what  to  do  with  them,  as  they 
have  no  room  to  stow  them.  The  rifles,  by  the  way,  were  magazine  guns  of 
the  very  latest  make. 

"  The  next  day  the  Spanish  officers  came  alongside  our  ship  to  arrange 
the  surrender  of  Cavite  to  Captain  Lamberton,  who  represented  the  Com- 


DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH    FLEET.  103 

modore.  They  were  nervous  and  trembling  like  leaves,  poor  fellows,  and 
when  told  that  we  did  not  intend  to  bombard  Manila  could  hardly  believe  it. 
These  people  cannot  understand  why  we  do  not  murder  and  kill  every  one 
in  sight.  That  night  at  5  o'clock  after  some  parley  the  Spanish  vacated  the 
beautiful  site  and  town  of  Cavite  and  left  in  our  hands  property  amounting  to 
millions  of  dollars. 

"  They  did  not  want  to  go.  Their  homes  were  there,  although  their 
families  had  been  removed  to  Manila  weeks  before.  They  were  afraid  of  the 
rebels,  whom,  by  150  years  of  the  most  outrageous  cruelty,  they  had  taught 
to  hate  them  more  than  the  Cubans  do  and  from  whom  they  could  hope  for 
no  mercy.  Thus  far  the  rebels  have  remained  quiet  and  in  communication 
with  our  commodore.  The  Spanish  army  is  in  camp  some  ten  miles  out  in 
the  foot  hills  about  15,000  strong.  The  rebels  have  possession  of  a41  the 
railroads  and  seem  to  control  the  situation. 

Demonstrations  of  Rejoicing. 

"  After  we  had  burnt  all  the  ships  and  ceased  firing  we  went  out  to  the 
fleet,  which  lay  some  4000  yards  off  watching  us,  and  when  we  came  along- 
side of  them,  they  cheered  and  cheered  us  one  after  another  loud  and  long. 
We  could  not  understand  it  at  all,  their  officers  and  captains  would  yell 
*  Three  cheers  for  Captain  Wood,  and  the  baby/  and  how  they  would 
respond,  while  our  little  old  man  was  bobbing  bis  head  off  with  joy.  I  did 
not  know  then  what  it  meant,  but  do  now  ;  when  we  went  in  that  last  time, 
we  were  nearer  Heaven  than  we  had  ever  been  before,  but  that  is  a  long  story 
and  I  will  tell  it  later. 

"  When  the  captain  made  his  report  to  the  Commodore,  the  latter  shak- 
ing his  hands  before  the  whole  crew  of  the  Olympia,  said :  '  Captain  Wood, 
by  heavens,  if  there  are  words  beautiful  enough  and  adequate  enough  in  the 
English  language,  to  describe  the  movements  and  work  of  yourself,  ship  and 
crew  to-day,  I'll  make  it  my  duty  to  hunt  them  out  and  send  them  to 
America.' 

"  The  old  man  said  that  night  he  had  been  waiting  and  working  for  fifty- 
six  years  for  those  words  and  they  had  come  at  last  and  he  did  not  care  what 
came  after  that. 

"  The  other  day  when  we  returned  from  one  of  our  frequent  trips  down 
the  bay  destroying  guns  and  batteries,  we  saw  as  we  drew  nearer  that  the  old 
Burgee,  with  one  white  star,  had  disappeared  from  the  mainmast  of  the 
Olympia,  and  in  its  place  was  the  big  blue  flag  with  two  white  stars  of  the 
Rear-Admiral.  The  McCulloch  had  returned  with  the  thanks  of  the  Presi- 
dent, Congress  and  the  American  people,  and  our  great  Commodore  had  been 


104  DESTRUCTION   OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

made  Rear- Admiral.  It  was  a  great  day ;  we  manned  yards  and  yelled  our- 
selves hoarse." 

A  marine  on  the  Baltimore  sent  a  letter  to  his  brother,  containing  an 
account  of  the  battle  at  Manila.  Accompanying  the  communication  was  a 
copy  of  the  Searchlight,  a  four-page  paper,  eight  by  ten  inches,  published 
on  the  Baltimore.  The  leading  article,  headed  in  red  type  "  War  !  "  contained 
a  description  of  the  movements  of  the  Baltimore  from  the  time  on  April  25, 
when,  as  part  of  the  American  squadron,  she  left  Hong  Kong  for  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  under  command  of  Admiral  Dewey,  until  after  the  battle. 

In  speaking  of  the  advance  upon  Manila  the  article  says  :  "  Every  man 
was  at  his  station,  eagerly  on  the  lookout,  and  just  spoiling  for  a  fight ;  and, 
indeed,  on  the  morrow,  '  we  didn't  do  a  t'ing  to  'em.'  With  early  dawn  we 
were  off  to  the  city  of  Manila,  eagerly  scanning  the  harbor  for  the  enemy's 
fleet,  and  soon  made  them  out,  drawn  up  off  and  inside  Sangley  Point  at 
Cavite,  their  fortified  navy  yard. 

Ready  to  Meet  the  Enemy. 

"  There  were  nine  ships,  all  steaming  except  the  Castilla,  which  ship  was 
moved  head  and  stern  off  the  point,  with  her  port  battery  bearing.  Their 
flagship,  Reina  Cristina,  marked  the  left  flank,  and  their  fleet  was  supported 
by  shore  batteries.  When,  at  5-°5»  by  order  from  flagship  to  prepare  for 
general  action,  the  st^rc  qrirl  stripes  were  broke  from  every  masthead  and 
peak,  everybody  silently  took  their  places,  grim  resolve  written  on  every 
countenance. 

"  The  Spaniards  started  the  ball  at  5.15,  and  kept  it  going  with  no  inter^ 
ruption  from  our  fleet,  which  kept  advancing  in  the  teeth  of  the  enemy's  fire, 
preferring  to  save  our  ammunition  for  a  closer  range.  About  twenty-five 
minutes  elapsed  before  we  returned  the  fire,  at  about  6,000  yards'  range,  and 
then  the  battle  was  on  in  earnest.  Steaming  in  column  before  Cavite,  mak- 
ing five  turns,  two  to  the  westward  and  three  to  the  eastward,  the  Americans 
soon  made  it  evident  that  the  Spaniards  'were  not  in  it.'  Their  fire,  although 
kept  up  with  wonderful  persistency,  proved  entirely  harmless,  while  ours 
raked  their  ships  fore  and  aft. 

"  Early  in  the  action  it  was  seen  that  their  flagship  was  on  fire.  She 
kept  up  the  fight  bravely  for  a  time,  but  was  finally  abandoned,  their  admiral 
transferring  his  flag  to  the  Castilla,  their  next  largest  ship.  After  less  than 
two  hours  constant  pouring  in  of  the  broadsides  it  was  discovered  that  the 
Castilla  was  also  on  fire,  with  the  balance  of  the  enemy's  fleet  retreating  inside 
the  breakwater.  We  were  masters  of  the  situation,  and  our  admiral  gave 
orders  to  withdraw  from  action.  Standing  off  in  the  bay  out  of  range  o* 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET.  105 

the  enemy's  guns,  which  kept  up  a  weak  fire,  we  had  breakfast  and  a  brief 
rest. 

"At  10.45  we  again  made  for  Cavite,  the  Baltimore  leading.  We  opened 
fire  on  the  enemy's  fortifications  at  a  range  of  about  2,500  yards,  and  were 
later  joined  by  the  balance  of  the  fleet.  It  did  not  take  long  to  silence  the 
forts,  and  the  only  remaining  ships  of  the  enemy,  the  Mindanao  and  the 
Ulloa,  were  sunk  ;  the  latter  going  down  stern  first,  with  her  colors  flying. 

"  Our  smaller  vessels  steaming  close  inshore,  kept  up  the  destructive 
work,  and  the  Petrel  went  inside  to  destroy  shipping,  soon  running  up  the 
signal  that  the  enemy  had  surrendered.  At  12.50  not  a  Spanish  flag  was 
seen  flying  at  or  over  Cavite ;  but  several  white  ones  had  been  hoisted,  and 
the  task  set  before  us  being  accomplished,  our  fleet,  with  the  exception  of  a 
suitable  patrol,  withdrew  to  an  anchorage  off  the  city  of  Manila.  That  was 
the  end  of  the  fight,  and  a  good  day's  work  it  was,  as  the  Spaniards  lost  all 
their  ships,  their  navy  yard  and  forts  were  entirely  destroyed,  they  had  423 
killed  and  missing,  and  490  wounded  in  their  hospitals,  while  the  Americans 
were  unharmed,  but  for  a  few  slightly  wounded,  and,  although  our  ships  were 
hit  several  times  the  damages  sustained  were  so  small  that  they  hardly  war- 
rant mention. 

"  Since  then  our  fleet  has  been  anchored  in  Manila  Harbor,  doing  little 
as  far  as  fighting  goes,  although  sharp  lookouts  are  kept  at  all  times  for  a 
possible  night  attack." 

Invaluable  Mementoes  of  the  Battle. 

One  of  the  arrivals  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  was  the  fine  British  ship 
Dalcairne,  direct  from  Manila.  She  was  on  the  scene  of  the  great  naval 
battle  which  resulted  in  Dewey's  annihilation  of  the  Spanish  fleet  under 
Admiral  Montojo.  She  dropped  anchor  at  Girard  Point  141  days  from  the 
harbor  of  Cavite,  landing  10,998  bales  of  hemp. 

The  Dalcairne  was  the  first  vessel  to  arrive  at  Philadelphia  bearing  eye- 
witnesses of  the  thrilling  scenes  of  May  I.  She  had  on  board  a  most  inter- 
esting collection  of  souvenirs  of  the  battle.  In  her  hold  were  securely 
packed  away  two  guns  of  historic  interest.  One  from  the  cruiser  Baltimore, 
presented  by  Admiral  Dewey  to  the  Monumental  City  to  commemorate  the 
deeds  done  by  its  namesake,  and  the  other  from  the  ill-fated  Reina  Castilla, 
which  became  the  property  of  the  Navy  Department  at  Washington. 

Besides  these  invaluable  mementoes  of  the  engagement,  Captain  Jones 
was  the  possessor  of  relics  and  trinkets  galore  from  the  abandoned  hulks  of 
tke  defeated  Dons.  While  in  harbor  at  Manila  the  Dalcairne  was  visited  by 
Admiral  Dewey,  who  presented  several  gifts  to  the  captain.  The  guns  were 


106  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

secured  at  Cavite  from  Consul  General  Williams.  Captain  Jones  would  have 
secured  many  more  articles  had  it  not  been  for  the  depredations  committed 
by  the  crew  of  a  Nova  Scotian  bark  in  the  vicinity,  who  looted  the  shattered 
vessels  of  all  portable  articles  with  the  skill  of  accomplished  wreckers. 

On  the  morning  of  the  naval  battle,  about  2  o'clock,  all  were  sleeping  on 
the  Dalcairne  except  the  watch  and  the  steward,  who  notified  Captain  Jones 
in  his  berth  of  the  approach  of  the  American  squadron.  Very  little  time 
was  consumed  by  the  ship's  company  in  tumbling  out  of  their  hammocks 
and  berths. 

The  position  of  the  Dalcairne  was  a  perilous  one,  being  directly  in  the 
line  of  fire  of  the  Spanish  ships.  Their  guns,  apparently  elevated  too  high, 
however,  buried  their  destructive  missiles  slightly  above  the  Britisher,  and 
she  was  consequently  struck  only  once  by  a  shell,  which  tore  away  a  portion 
of  her  top  hamper.  Still,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  the  American 
ships  manoeuvred  so  constantly,  Captain  Jones  thinks  that  his  vessel  must 
have  sustained  serious  damage.  The  smoke  hung  so  heavily  that  it  was 
difficult  to  see  anything  of  the  engagement  after  it  was  well  on,  but  the  crew 
saw  one  thing  distinctly,  and  that  was  the  heroic  work  of  Admiral  Montojo  in 
transferring^his  flag  to  another  vessel  under  a  rain  of  death-dealing  projectiles. 

"  How  that  little  boat  escaped  utter  destruction,"  said  Captain  Jones,  "  is 
a  mystery.  Every  man  on  her  was  a  hero,  but  the  Spanish  admiral  dis- 
counted for  coolness  anything  that  has  ever  come  under  my  observation 
During  that  perilous  passage  of  a  mile  or  more  he  stood  upright  in  the  stern 
perfectly  unmoved,  although  splashes  of  water  flew  repeatedly  over  the  little 
craft  from  the  fragments  of  shell  and  larger  shot  which  exploded  frequently 
within  a  few  yards  of  her.  We  all  held  our  breath  until  Montojo  was  safe 
out  of  the  frying  pan  into  the  fire,  as  the  saying  is,  and  we  all  devoutly  hoped 
he  would  cross  that  expanse  of  water  in  safety.  It  was  an  example  of  un- 
paralleled heroism." 

The  choicest  specimen  in  Captain  Jones'  collection  was  a  brass  deckplate 
from  the  Reina  Castilla.  It  bears  her  name  and  has  the  shipbuilder's  number 
of  the  yard  in  which  she  was  built,  engraved  upon  it. 

Jackies"  Story  of  Admiral  Dewey. 

One  of  the  brave  jackies  who  "  was  with  Dewey  "  at  the  battle  of  Manila 
ftay  told  this  new  anecdote  of  the  great  admiral.  The  teller  was  a  sailor  of 
the  cruiser  Boston,  and  his  story  was  this  : 

"  The  most  affecting  incident  which  occurred,  and  which  all  of  the 
sailors  will  remember  through  their  lives,  was  the  action  of  a  powder  boy. 
Th^se  boys  act  as  aids  to  captains  and  lieutenants  in  carrying  messages  a,nx| 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET.  107 

doing  errands.  When  the  order  was  given  to  strip  for  action  one  of  the  boys 
tore  his  coat  off  hurriedly,  and  it  fell  from  his  hands  and  went  over  the  rail, 
down  into  the  bay.  A  few  moments  before  he  had  been  gazing  on  hi* 
mother's  photograph,  and  just  before  he  took  his  coat  off  he  had  kissed  the 
picture  and  put  it  in  his  inside  pocket.  When  the  coat  fell  overboard  he 
turned  to  the  captain  and  asked  permission  to  jump  over  and  get  it. 

"  Naturally  the  request  was  refused.  The  boy  then  went  to  the  other 
side  of  the  ship  and  climbed  down  the  ladder.  He  swam  around  to  the 
place  where  the  coat  had  dropped,  and  succeeded  in  getting  it.  I  believe  it 
was  still  floating  when  he  got  there.  When  he  came  back  he  was  ordered  in 
chains  for  disobedience.  After  the  battle  he  was  tried  by  a  court-martial  for 
disobedience  and  found  guilty.  Commodore  Dewey  became  interested  in  the 
case,  for  he  could  not  understand  why  the  boy  had  risked  his  life  and  dis- 
obeyed orders  for  a  coat.  The  lad  had  never  told  what  his  motives  were. 
But  when  the  commodore  talked  to  him  in  a  kindly  way,  and  asked  him  why 
he  had  done  such  strange  things  for  an  old  coat,  he  broke  into  tears  and  told 
the  commodore  that  his  mother's  picture  was  in  the  coat. 

"  Commodore  Dewey's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  listened  to  the  story. 
Then  he  picked  up  the  boy  in  his  arms  and  embraced  him.  He  ordered  the 
little  fellow  to  be  instantly  released,  and  pardoned.  '  Boys  who  love  their 
mothers  enough  to  risk  their  lives  for  her  picture  cannot  be  kept  in  irons  on 
this  fleet/  he  said. 

tf  Just  before  the  action  the  boys  all  exchanged  keepsakes  and  intrusted 
numerous  packages  to  each  other  to  send  to  their  homes  in  case  they  were 
killed  in  action.  One  of  the  misfortunes  on  the  Boston  was  the  great  scar- 
city of  tobacco  the  morning  of  the  battle.  Almost  all  the  sailors  were  out 
of  the  weed.  But  one  man  had  over  a  pound,  and  he  divided  it  in  equal  lots 
among  his  companions,  keeping  only  the  regular  share  for  himself." 

Remarkable  Efficiency  of  Modern  Battleships. 

The  reader  who  examines  the  pictures  of  modern  battleships  must  be 
struck  with  the  fact  that  they  present  an  entirely  different  appearance  from  the 
old  warships,  that  were  in  use  up  to  a  comparatively  recent  period.  The 
fighting  top  is  now  considered  essential  to  the  efficiency  of  a  naval  vessel.  It 
figured  largely  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  and  some  account  of  it  will  be 
of  interest.  The  story  of  the  fighting  top  reaches  back  centuries  before  the 
Christian  era ;  in  fact,  back  to  the  earliest  time  when  war  craft  might  pardon- 
ably be  called  ships  by  virtue  of  their  successful  struggle  with  wave  and' 
tempest ;  and,  amid  the  rapid  changes  of  to-day,  it  is  hard  to  trace  the  con- 
pection  between  those  ancient  craft  with  their  rude  equipments  and  the 


108  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH   FLEET. 

modern  battleships,  fierce  and  strong,  by  right  of  the  power  she  has  plucked 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  and  turned  to  her  own  purposes  of  might  and 
majestic  dominance. 

The  carvings  and  drawings  of  the  war  craft  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and 
Asiatics,  two  thousand  years  before  Christ,  bear  the  embryo  of  the  military 
top  perched  at  the  masthead  of  the  single  spars  that  bore  their  sails  then.  It 
was  merely  a  rough  basket-like  arrangement  in  which  one  or  two  men  might 
stand  and  assail  the  warriors  of  the  foe  where  they  crouched  behind  the 
sheltering  bulwarks  of  bucklers  hung  against  the  sides.  Perched  high  above^ 
the  men  in  the  "  gabie,"  as  later  it  was  called,  picked  off,  like  sharp-shooters, 
the  enemy  before  he  could  come  aboard  or  tempted  him  into  open  exposure 
and  the  consequences  such  rashness  brought. 

Used  as  a  Defense  Against  Pirates. 

Down  upon  the  foe's  deck  the  hurtling  spear  was  sent,  while  the  topmen 
rested  far  above  retaliation  save  from  the  enemy's  topmen,  if  he  had  any. 
During  the  time  of  the  naval  struggles  between  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans, 
the  fighting  tops  disappeared,  for  it  was  customary  then  to  lower  the  masts 
and  trust  only  to  the  great  sweeps  or  oars  when  going  into  action.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem  the  merchant  vessels  alone  carried  fighting  tops  then,  and  for 
the  purpose  only  of  meeting  the  attack  of  pirates,  with  whom  nearly  every 
sea  was  then  infested. 

Those  tops  were  not  unlike  casks,  and,  with  two  or  three  men  in  them, 
could  be  hoisted  well  up  and  into  position  in  time  to  be  of  service.  Many  of 
our  large  merchant  liners  and  all  whalers  carry  a  somewhat  similar  arrange- 
ment well  up  on  their  masts  to-day,  and,  from  the  crow's  nest,  as  it  is  now 
called,  most  of  the  lookout  duty  is  now  done.  The  Japanese  have  adopted 
something  of  the  kind  for  their  modern  naval  vessels,  and  the  cut  of  the 
Chitose's  mast  is  typical. 

As  the  ships  grew  in  power  their  masts  had  to  be  heightened  by  splicing 
on  additional  spars,  and  to  give  spread  for  the  stays  and  shrouds  that  held 
them  in  place,  a  platform  was  built  at  the  top  of  the  lower  mast.  There  the 
archer  and  spearman  found  ample  room  for  his  work,  and  the  Saxon  chroni- 
cles of  that  lusty  writer,  Sir  John  Froissart,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  fourteenth 
century  give  us  some  very  interesting  accounts  of  the  damage  inflicted  upon 
the  French,  the  Spanish,  and  the  Genoese  by  the  topmen  of  the  British  ships. 
Down  upon  the  fragile  structures  of  wood  they  hurled  great  stones  that  bore 
down  the  foe  in  great  bleeding  masses,  tore  through  their  decks,  opened 
their  seams,  and  sent  them  to  the  bottom  in  a  style  that  Sir  John  makes  highly 
commendable. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FLEET. 

In  the  seventeenth  century  we  find  the  tops  broad  and  open,  save  for  the 
after  part,  where  a  wooden  breastwork  was  reared  to  shield  the  topmen. 
Why  only  the  after  part  should  have  been  singled  out  for  protection,  is  open 
for  speculation ;  but  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  sails  before  the  mast  cov- 
ered to  a  great  extent  the  marksmen  in  the  top,  and  behind  the  mast  only 
did  they  need  supplemental  protection.  These  wooden  bulwarks  in  the  tops 
were  variously  painted  according  to  the  nationality  of  the  ship ;  and  for  a 
couple  of  hundred  years  that  style  of  top  prevailed,  and  in  form,  square  be- 
hind and  rounded  in  front,  still  is  in  vogue  in  modern  sail-powered  naval  vessels. 

During  all  the  frigate  actions  of  the  war  of  1812,  the  sharpshooters  in  the 
tops  of  the  various  ships  did  excellent  work,  and  there  it  was  the  marine 
showed  what  could  be  expected  of  him,  even  though  he  stood  out  with  no 
shelter  other  than  a  stray  hammock  or  so  hastily  triced  up  for  his  protection. 

Our  Navy  Furnished  with  Military  Masts. 

The  first  of  our  ships  of  the  new  navy  had  tops  that  were  practically 
steel  duplicates  of  those  of  the  late  war ;  and  but  for  the  presence  of  modern 
rapid-fire  guns,  were  really  of  less  defensive  value  than  those  of  1870  or 
thereabouts.  It  wasn't  till  we  began  to  build  our  battleships  that  we  really 
launched  out  into  regular  modern  military  masts,  and  then  we  followed  in 
principle  the  practices  of  the  French. 

The  modern  mast  on  a  battleship  is  purely  for  military  purposes,  namely, 
on  such  ships  that  are  without  a  spread  of  canvas  of  any  sort,  and  its  duty 
now  is  principally  for  a  service  that  was  once  merely  incidental  to  those  of 
the  sailing  ship.  To  bear  signals  is  its  first  mission,  and  then  to  carry  an 
armament  of  rapid-fire  guns  with  which  to  meet  the  attack  of  torpedo-boats,  to 
sweep  the  open  ports,  and  to  enfilade  the  unprotected  gun-stations  of  an  enemy. 

With  Gatling  guns  pouring  out  a  veritable  rain  of  bullets  at  the  rate  of 
2,000  a  minute,  and  with  other  heavier  automatic  guns  capable  of  hurling  a 
hundred  or  more  of  one-pound  shell  in  the  same  time  the  modern  military 
top  is  something  to  be  considered  where  the  hand-grenade,  the  stink-balls, 
and  the  rocks  of  the  past  might  be  dismissed  with  a  shrug. 

There  is  but  little  doubt  that  the  French  have  set  the  pace  for  the  modern 
fighting  top,  and  so  luxuriantly  have  their  vessels  developed  these  growths  in 
riotous  profusion  and  variety  of  forms  that  it  was  no  wonder  we  soon  heard 
of  wanting  stability  in  their  ships.  Their  most  recent  designs  are  decidedly 
moderated,  but  still  bear  the  hall  mark  of  great  freedom.  With  the  French 
the  idea  has  been  to  cover  entirely  the  positions  of  the  guns  and  the  men  in 
the  tops  to  give  the  navigator  a  chance  to  guide  his  ship  in  action  from  a 
point  well  above  the  smoke  of  the  guns,  aod,  too,  to  bear  aloft  the  search- 


110  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FLEET. 

lights.  Wherever  a  closed-in  top  is  found  on  ships  of  other  nations  it  is  ol 
French  inspiration. 

The  British  have  almost  exclusively  held  to  an  open  or  uncovered  top, 
the  only  real  protection  to  either  guns  or  men  being  the  shields  carried  on 
the  weapons  themselves. 

With  us  the  gunboats  Wilmington  and  Helena  represent  the  greatest 
development  of  the  military  mast,  in  all  it  means  for  fighting  and  signal  pur- 
poses, for  conning  the  ship,  and  for  the  carriage  of  that  great  shining  eye  that 
is  to  look  far  into  the  night.  The  conning  tower,  so  to  speak,  is  just  below 
the  lower  top,  and  is  reached  through  the  mast  proper.  Just  because  of  this 
curious  type  of  mast,  one  of  the  enemy's  large  auxiliary  cruisers  took  one  of 
these  boats  for  a  battleship  the  other  day,  and  lost  no  time  in  hustling  for  the 
distant  horizon. 

The  national  tendencies  of  the  various  navies  are  marked  by  the  military 
masts  their  recent  vessels  bear,  and  whether  they  seek  their  inspiration  from 
Great  Britain  or  France  it  is  easy  enough  to  tell.  The  Russians  are  unset- 
tled ;  Austria  is  equally  divided ;  Germany  leans  toward  the  French,  while 
the  Japanese  and  the  Italians  follow  the  English. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Admiral  Dewey's  Account  of  his  Grand  Achievement. 


HE  whole  country  was  startled  by  the  unexpected  new?  of  the  great 
American  naval  victory  at  Manila.     It  was  not  known  that  naval 
operations  were  going  on  in  the  far  East,  yet,  while  the  popular 
attention  was  focused  on  events  in  Cuba  as  being  nearer  home, 
Admiral  Dewey  had  been  grimly  carrying  out  the  orders  given  him. 

On  May  1st  the  world  was  astounded  by  a  brief  cablegram — unofficial — 
that  Admiral  Montojo's  fleet,  at  Manila,  had  been  utterly  destroyed.  The  cable 
to  the  Philippine  Archipelago  was  a  Spanish  one,  and  the  ominous  slience  at 
Madrid  served  to  corroborate  the  early  rumors.  It  was  not  until  Dewey's 
messenger  reached  Hong  Kong  two  days  later,  however,  that  the  news  of  his 
victory  was  officially  confirmed. 

"  Not  one  Spanish  flag  flies  in  Manila  bay  to-day;  not  one  Spanish  warship 
floats  except  as  our  prize,"  was  Admiral  Dewey's  soul-stirring  message  that 
enthused  the  nation  and  startled  the  European  powers. 

An  echo  almost  of  Perry's  famous  bulletin,  "  We  have  met  the  enemy 
and  they  are  ours,"  and  in  truth  Dewey's  achievement  proved  to  have  no  other 
parallel  in  history  than  Perry's  famous  victory  on  Lake  Erie  in  1813,  unless 
it  be  Farragut's  attack  on  the  forts  in  Mobile  Bay  in  1864,  for  which  the  cre- 
ation of  the  office  of  vice-admiral  was  not  deemed  too  high  a  reward,  and  in 
which  the  gallant  hero  of  Manila  had  taken  part. 

Through  the  British  Colonial  Secretary  Joseph  Chamberlain,  who  desired 
him  to  leave  Hong  Kong  Harbor  without  delay,  did  Commodore  Dewey  first 
hear,  on  Sunday,  April  24th,  that  a  state  of  war  existed  between  this  country 
and  Spain. 

His  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Olympia,  Baltimore,  Raleigh,  Petrel, 
'jConcord,  Boston,  with  the  revenue  cutter  McCulloch  and  the  supply  ships 
Nanshan  and  Zafiro,  was  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Mirs  Bay,  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, and  being  compelled  to  wait  there  for  the  arrival  of  the  United  States 
Consul  at  Manila,  did  not  leave  anchorage  until  the  27th;  but  when  it  did 
so,  it  was  with  the  commander's  openly  expressed  determination  to  fight  the 
enemy  the  very  first  day  he  could  get  at  them. 

The  Island  of  Luzon  was  passed  on  April  3Oth,  and  the  arrival  of  the 


112 


STORY  OF  MANILA. 


American  fleet  was  at  once  cabled  to  Manila,  even  as  their  leaving  Hong  ICong 
had  undoubtedly  been'  announced  in  hastily  written  despatches  to  the  Span- 
iards at  that  place. 

Still,  the  commander  of  the  Spanish  fleet  either  miscalculated  our  speed 
or  perchance  doubted  our  coming,  for,  when  the  Concord  and  Boston  were 
sent  forty  miles  away  to  reconnoitre  Subig  Bay  (where  he  had  planned  to 
and  annihilate  us),  not  a  ship  of  his  was  found  there. 


ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY. 

On  receipt  of  this  information  the  commodore  signaled  for  a  council  of 
war  and  it  was  decided  to  run  the  batteries  at  the  entrance  of  Manila  Bay  at 
midnight. 

Corregidor  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  many  miles  from  the  city, 
was  reached  at  the  appointed  time;  and  now,  cautiously^  noiselessly,  and 
without  any  light  but  a  hooded  sternlight  en  each  ship  to  guide  the  following 
one,  our  squadron  entered  the  channel* 


STORY   OF  MANILA.  113 

Rockets  fired  from  the  summit  of  the  Corregidor  and  answered  from  the 
mainland  prompted  the  fear  that  we  had  been  discovered ;  it  was  a  false  alarm ; 
but  presently,  when  the  six  fighting  ships  had  passed  the  island  fort,  and  now 
showed  their  sternlights  not  to  their  followers  only,  but  to  the  enemy,  blind- 
ing flashes  from  the  outermost  mainland  battery,  immediately  followed  by  a 
shot,  and  another  and  a  third,  made  it  plain  that  we  no  longer  advanced 
unseen. 

Three  shots  from  the  Concord,  the  Boston  and  the  McCulloch,  however, 
silenced  the  fort ;  and  through  the  darkness  of  the  cloudy  night  we  steamed 
slowly  forward,  the  men  lulled  to  rest  at  their  stations  on  deck  by  the  peaceful 
rolling  of  the  midnight  tropical  sea,  the  commanders  bending  their  every 
thought  on  the  encounter  which  was  now  felt  to  be  imminent  and  of  uncertain 
duration. 

By  five  o'clock  Manila  lay  four  miles  ahead  of  the  advancing  fleet  to  the 
eastward ;  Cavite,  with  its  arsenals  and  naval  depot,  was  on  their  right,  seven 
miles  from  the  capital.  A  harmless  shot  greeted  them  from  Manila,  while  on 
their  starboard  a  roar  of  guns  was  heard,  from  Cavite ;  there  it  was  that  the 
enemy  lay;  there  they  should  attack  him  forthwith. 

Ships  Were  Kept  Moving. 

And  now,  the  faithful  pupil  of  Farragut,  who  had  displayed  such  judg- 
ment in  the  planning  of  the  nightly  invasion  of  the  bay,  his  selection  of  the 
channel  south  of  Corregidor  Island,  and  his  safe  piloting  of  his  squadron 
within  sight  of  the  foe,  now  set  about  giving  the  world  one  more  illustration 
of  the  advantage  possessed  by  battling  ships  kept  in  motion  over  vessels  at 
anchor. 

Swinging  round  in  Indian  file,  our  six  battleships  first  made  straight  for 
the  fort,  under  whose  protection  the  Spaniards  lay ;  then  facing  the  fire  that 
poured  upon  the  batteries,  and  soon  after  from  the  Spanish  ships,  to  and  fro 
they  steadily  wheeled  in  front  of  the  little  harbor,  describing  a  weird  figure 
eight  in  that  cyclone  of  shell  and  shot,  and  belching  forth  incessant  broadsides 
now  from  the  port-side  and  then  from  the  starboard. 

Out  of  her  hiding-place  came  the  Spanish  admiral's  flagship,  the  Reina 
Christina,  only  to  prove  her  inability  to  withstand  the  storm  of  steel  directed 
upon  her ;  and  as  she  endeavored  to  make  a  hasty  retreat,  a  shell  from  the 
Olympia  completely  wrecked  her.  A  second  sortie  by  the  Spanish  admiral 
aboard  another  flagship  (the  Isla  de  Cuba)  shared  the  same  fate,  and  the 
deathly  havoc  went  on  with  appalling  relentlessness  for  two  hours,  when  lo, 
the  United  States  flagship  Olympia  was  seen  moving  towards  the  centre  of 

the  bay,  followed  by  her  subordinates. 
8— D 


ii4  &TORY  OF  MANILA. 

What  could  the  Spaniards  conclude  but  that,  calamitous  as  the  encounter 
had  proved  to  them,  it  must  have  been  equally  disastrous  to  the  Americans  ? 
The  up-to-date  Krupp  guns  on  yonder  shore  batteries  had  evidently  chastised 
the  invader's  temerity ;  for  were  not  these  finer  and  larger  than  any  gun  in 
their  fleet?  And  see,  the  "  Yankee. pigs  "  were,  one  and  all,  retiring  from  the 
fray.  Not  one  of  the  gallant  ships,  however,  had  been  seriously  injured ; 
among  our  brave  fellows  not  one  precious  life  had  been  lost;  their  com- 
mander had  simply  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  earned  a  little  rest, 
and  he  was  taking  them  out  of  the  clouds  of  smoke  and  the  stifling  heat  of 
the  battle  for  the  commonplace,  unheroic  purpose  of  giving  them  their 
breakfast. 

The  foe  had  apparently  forgotten,  if  ever  they  had  read  of  it,  how,  on  the 
1st  of  June,  1794,  the  British  admiral,  Earl  Howe,  hove  to  for  an  hour,  so  as 
to  enable  his  men  to  fortify  themselves  with  a  sustantial  meal,  before  attack- 
ing the  French  offUshant  and  routing  them,  as  they  subsequently  did.  Our 
gallant  and  indomitable  Dewey  was  now  but  perpetuating  the  traditions  of 
Anglo-Saxon  humaneness  and  Anglo-Saxon  practical  forethought  in  Manila, 
— that  was  all. 

Back  to  the  charge  our  men  returned  with  renewed  energy  at  10.45  ,after 
a  three  hours'  recess ;  back  to  the  duel  of  desperation  on  one  side  and  the 
composure  of  self-confidence  on  the  other,  which  was  soon  to  shatter  the  last 
remnants  of  Admiral  Montojo's  hopes. 

One  after  another  his  ships  were  sunk,  burned,  or  captured ;  one  by  one 
his  batteries  were  silenced,  and  in  the  noon-day  sun  of  that  May  day,  the 
last  of  the  Spanish  flags  struck  on  Cavite  fort.  In  one  day  Spain  had  lost  ten 
warships,  not  to  speak  of  her  torpedo  boats  and  transports,  and  some  1200  of 
her  defenders  were  killed  or  wounded.  Not  one  death  on  our  side  had 
marred  our  victory ;  eight  of  the  Baltimore  crew  had  paid  for  their  bravery 
with  more  or  less  trifling  wounds,  and  the  injury  done  to  our  nine  battleships 
was  not  thought  to  exceed  $5,000. 

An  Insolent  Spanish  Governor. 

Exactly  seven  days  before  this  epoch-making  engagement,  Governor- 
'  General  Basilio  Augustin  y  Davila  had  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Philip- 
•pinos,  in  which  the  following  passage  held  a  prominent  place  : 

"  The  North  American  people,  constituted  of  all  the  social  excrescences, 
have  exhausted  our  patience  and  provoked  war  with  their  perfidious  machina- 
tions, with  their  acts  of  treachery  and  with  their  outrages  against  the  laws  ol 
nations  and  international  treaties. 

"  A  squadron,  manned  by  foreigners,  possessing  neither  instruction  noV 


STORY    OF   MANILA.  115 

discipline,  is  preparing  to  come  to  this  archipelago  with  the  ruffianly  intention 
of  robbing  us  of  all  that  means  life,  honor  and  liberty. 

"The  struggle  will  be  short  and  decisive.  The  God  of  victories  will  give 
us  one  as  complete  as  the  righteousness  and  justice  of  our  cause  demands." 

Verily,  one  portion  of  General  Augustin's  prophecy  had  proved  remark- 
ably accurate.  The  struggle  had  been  indeed  "  short  and  decisive ; "  one 
single  battle  had  sufficed  to  wrench  from  Spain  the  unholy  dominion  she  had 
held  continuously  over  those  islands  (save  for  the  British  occupation  of 
Manila  for  a  few  months  last  century)  ever  since  the  name  of  Philip  II.  was 
bestowed  upon  them  three  hundred  years  ago. 

"  You  may  fire  when  ready,  Gridley,"  will  pass  into  history  as  the  quiet 
order  from  Commodore  Dewey  to  the  captain  of  the  flagship,  which  heralded 
one  of  the  greatest  naval  battles  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

Admiral  Dewey's  orders  were  to  capture  or  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet,  and 
never  were  instructions  executed  in  so  complete  a  fashion.  At  the  end  of 
seven  hours  there  was  absolutely  nothing  left  of  the  Spanish  fleet  but  a  few 
relics. 

The  American  commander  had  most  skillfully  arranged  every  detail  of 
the  action,  and  even  the  apparently  most  insignificent  features  were  carried  out 
with  perfect  punctuality  and  in  railroad  time-table  order. 

At  the  end  of  the  action  Admiral  Dewey  anchored  his  fleet  in  the  bay, 
before  Manila,  and  sent  a  message  to  the  Governor-General,  General  Augusti> 
announcing  the  inauguration  of  the  blockade,  and  adding  that  if  a  shot  was 
fired  against  his  ships  he  would  destroy  every  battery  about  Manila* 

Spanish  Advantage  Unavailing. 

The  position  occupied  by  the  Spaniards,  the  support  which  their  ships 
received  from  the  land  batteries,  and  the  big  guns  they  had  ashore,  gave  them 
an  enormous  advantage.  Therefore,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  Spaniards 
lost  over  six  hundred  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  that  all  their  ships  were 
destroyed  and  that  their  naval  arsenal  at  Cavite  was  also  destroyed,  with  its 
defences,  it  is  apparent  that  the  victory  of  the  Americans  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  wonderful  achievements  ever  yet  recorded  in  the  history  of 
naval  warfare. 

Not  a  man  on  board  the  American  fleet  was  killed,  not  a  ship  was 
damaged  to  any  extent,  and  only  six  men  were  injured  slightly  on  board  the 
Baltimore. 

This  grand  achievement  is  quite  as  much  due  to  the  generalship  of 
Admiral  Dewey  as  to  the  fact  that  the  American  gunners,  ships  and  guns  are 
superior  to  anything  in  the  same  line  ?  float  anywhere.  Credit  musl  also  be 


116  STORY  OF  MANILA. 

given  to  the  fullest  extent  to  the  officers  under  Admiral  Dewey,  for,  to  a  man, 
they  seconded  their  gallant  commander  in  every  way  possible  and  thus  helped 
him  earn  the  laurels  which  are  so  justly  his. 

When  the  squadron  left  Hong  Kong  it  touched  at  a  point  in  the  Philippine 
Islands  near  Bolinao,  as  Admiral  Dewey  wished  the  insurgent  agents  to  dis- 
embark there,  ascertain  the  strength  and  disposition  of  the  insurgent  forces, 
arrange  to  prevent  needless  bloodshed  and  inform  the  insurgents  of  his  inten- 
tion to  change  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  the  Admiral  strongly 
objecting  to  giving  the  rebels  a  chance  to  commit  excesses. 

Hunting  the  Spanish  Fleet. 

The  insurgent  leaders,  however,  refused  to  disembark  under  any  consid- 
eration, and  the  American  ships  coasted  in  search  of  the  Spanish  ships,  but 
failed  to  find  them.  Admiral  Dewey  arrived  at  Subig  Bay,  about  thirty  miles 
north  of  Manila  Bay,  on  Saturday,  April  3Oth,  and  sent  the  Baltimore  and 
Concord  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy.  They  found  no  Spanish  ships  at  the 
entrance  of  the  bay,  and  so  the  Admiral  decided  to  risk  the  mines  and  pro- 
ceed that  same  night  after  it  became  dark  into  the  bay  of  Manila,  which  he 
accordingly  did. 

The  order  of  battle  taken  up  by  the  Spaniards  was  with  all  the  small  craft 
inside  the  stone  and  timber  breakwaters  of  Cavite  harbor.  The  larger  ships  of 
Spain  cruised  off  Cavite  and  Manila.  The  American  fleet  entered  Manila 
Bay  on  Saturday  night  with  the  greatest  of  ease.  The  Spaniards  had  not 
established  a  patrol  and  there  were  no  searchlights  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay. 
In  fact,  the  American  ships  would  probably  have  passed  inside  the  bay  with- 
out any  challenge,  had  it  not  been  that  some  sparks  flew  up  from  the  McCul- 
loch's  funnel.  Thereupon  a  few  shots  were  exchanged  with  the  batteries  on 
Corregidor  Island,  but  the  fleet  did  not  slow  down  and  soon  took  up  a  posi- 
tion near  Cavite,  awaiting  dawn  in  order  to  commence  hostilities. 

The  early  hours  of  the  morning  revealed  the  opposing  ships  to  each  other 
and  the  Spanish  flagship  opened  fire.  Her  action  was  followed  by  some  of 
the  larger  Spanish  warships,  and  then  the  Cavite  forts  opened  up  and  the 
smaller  Spanish  vessels  brought  their'guns  into  play. 

The  American  squadron  which  had  been  led  into  the  bay  and  through 
the  channel  by  the  flagship  Olympia  did  not  reply,  though  the  shells  of  the 
Spaniards  began  to  strike  the  water  around  them,  but  moved  majestically 
onward.  When  nearing  Baker  Bay  a  sudden  upheaval  of  water  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead  of  the  Olympia  showed  that  the  Spaniards  had  exploded  a  mine 
or  a  torpedo.  This  was  followed  by  a  second  and  similar  explosion.  They 
were  both  utterly  unsuccessful.  The  American  fleet  was  then  drawing  nearer 


* 


STORY   OF  MANILA.  117 


and  nearer  to  the  Spaniards,  whose  gunnery  was  very  poor,  the  shots  from  the 
Cavite  batteries  and  from  the  Spanish  ships  being  equally  badly  aimed,  either 
falling  short  or  going  wide  of  the  mark.  It  was  a  tremendous  waste  of 
ammunition  just  when  most  wanted. 

The  Order  of  Battle. 
I 

When  the  American  fleet  entered  the  bay,  coming  through  the  southern 
channel  between  Caballo  and  Frile  Islets,  the  following  was  their  order:  the 
flagship  Olympia,  the  Baltimore,  the  Raleigh,  Concord,  Boston,  Petrel  and 
McCulloch,  with  the  two  store  ships,  the  Nanshan  and  Zafiro,  bringing  up 
the  rear.  And  in  that  order  they  swept  grandly  before  the  city  and  faced  the 
enemy  in  column  line.  Though  the  Spaniards  had  opened  fire  at  6000  yards, 
the  Americans  reserved  their  fire  until  within  4000  yards  of  the  enemy,  when 
the  real  battle  began.  The  Reina  Christina,  Castilla,  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa, 
Isla  de  Cuba,  Isla  de  Luzon  and  the  Mindanao  were  in  line  of  battle  outside 
of  Cavite  at  that  time,  with  four  gunboats  and  the  torpedo  boats  inside  the 
harbor.  The  American  ships  then  passed  backward  and  forward  six  times 
across  the  front  of  the  Spaniards,  pouring  in  upon  the  latter  a  perfect  hail  of 
shot  and  shell.  Every  American  shot  seemed  to  tell,  while  almost  every 
Spanish  shot  missed  the  mark. 

After  having  thus  scattered  death  and  demoralization  among  the  Spanish 
fleet  and  in  the  Spanish  batteries,  the  American  fleet  retired  for  breakfast 
and,  incidentally,  a  council  of  war  was  held  on  board  the  Olympia.  By  thi? 
time  the  Spanish  ships  were  in  a  desperate  condition.  The  flagship  Reina 
Christina  was  riddled  with  shot  and  shell,  one  of  her  steam  pipes  had  burst 
and  she  was  believed  to  be  on  fire.  The  Castilla  was  certainly  on  fire,  and* 
soon  afterward,  their  condition  became  worse  and  worse,  until  they  were 
eventually  burned  to  the  water's  edge. 

The  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa  made  a  most  magnificent  show  of  desperate 
bravery.  When  her  commander  found  she  was  so  torn  by  the  American 
shells  that  he  could  not  keep  her  afloat,  he  nailed  her  colors  to  the  mast  and 
she  sank  with  all  hands  fighting  to  the  last.  Her  hull  was  completely  riddled 
and  her  upper  deck  had  been  swept  clean  by  the  awful  fire  of  the  American 
guns,  but  the  Spaniards,  though  their  vessel  wa>:  sinking  beneath  them,  con- 
tinued valorously  working  the  guns  on  her  lower  deck  until  she  sank  beneath 
the  waters. 

During  the  engagement  a  Spanish  torpedo  boat  crept  along  the  shore 
and  round  the  offing  in  an  attempt  to  attack  the  American  store  ships,  but 
she  was  promptly  discovered,  was  driven  ashore  and  was  actually  shot  to 
pieces.  The  Mindanao  had  in  the  meanwhile  been  run  ashore  to  save  her 


118  STORY  OF  MANILA. 

from  sinking  and  the  Spanish  small  craft  had  sought  shelter  from  the  steel 
storm  behind  the  breakwater. 

The  battle,  which  was  started  at  about  5.30  A.  M.,  and  adjourned  at  8.30 
A.  M.,  was  resumed  about  noon,  when  Admiral  Dewey  started  in  to  put  the 
finishing  touches  to  his  glorious  work.  There  was  not  much  fight  left  in  the 
Spaniards  by  that  time,  and  at  2  P.  M.  the  Petrel  and  Concord  had  shot  the 
Cavite  batteries  into  silence,  leaving  them  heaps  of  ruins  and  floating  the 
white  flag. 

The  Spanish  gunboats  were  then  scuttled,  the  arsenal  was  on  fire  and 
the  explosion  of  a  Spanish  magazine  caused  further  mortality  among  the 
defenders  of  Spain  on  the  shore.  On  the  water  the  burning,  sunken  or 
destroyed  Spanish  vessels  could  be  seen,  while  only  the  cruiser  Baltimore  had 
suffered  in  any  way  from  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  A  shot  which  struck  her 
exploded  some  ammunition  near  one  of  her  guns  and  slightly  injured  half  a 
dozen  of  the  crew. 

Spaniards  Shot  at  Dewey. 

Several  shots  passed  dangerously  close  to  Admiral  Dewey,  but  little  or 
no  damage  was  done  on  board  the  flagship.  On  the  other  hand,  about  150 
men  are  said  to  have  been  killed  on  board  the  Spanish  flagship,  which  was 
totally  destroyed.  Admiral  Montojo,  the  Spanish  commander,  transferred  his 
flag  to  the  Isla  de  Cuba  when  his  ship  caught  fire,  but  the  latter  was  destroyed 
also  in  due  course  of  time.  The  Reina  Christina  lost  her  captain,  a  lieu- 
tenant, her  chaplain  and  a  midshipman  by  one  destructive  shot  which  struck 
her  bridge. 

About  100  men  were  killed  and  sixty  wounded  on  board  the  Castilla. 
Indeed,  some  estimates  place  the  number  of  Spanish  wounded  during  the 
engagement  at  over  a  thousand  men.  The  Olympia  was  struck  five  times 
about  her  upper  works,  and  a  whaleboat  of  the  Raleigh  was  smashed. 
Although  the  Krupp  guns  on  the  esplanade  of  Manila  were  fired  continuously 
during  the  engagement,  Admiral  Dewey  did  not  reply  to  them,  and  the  bat- 
tery afterward  hoisted  a  white  flag  in  token  of  surrender. 

Says  an  eye-witness :  "  Throughout  the  great  battle  of  Sunday,  the  fleet 
acted  splendidly.  No  ship  failed  to  cover  itself  with  glory.  The  greatest 
execution  was  done  by  the  Olympia  and  Baltimore,  owing  to  the  greatest 
weight  of  the  guns. 

'  The  little  Petrel,  '  no  bigger  than  a  minute,'  had  a  most  spectacular 
part.  She  went  in  like  a  battleship,  and,  lying  close  to  the  shore,  completely 
whipped  a  good-sized  fort  unaided.  Every  officer  ought  to  have  promotion 
for  gallantry,  and  Woods,  commander  of  the  Petrel,  should  receive  the  thanks 
of  Congress, 


STORY  OF  MANILA.  119 

"  The  Spaniards'  information  regarding  our  fleet  was  grievously  faulty. 
They  believed  the  Boston  was  a  battleship,  and  concentrated  their  fire  on 
her.  She  lies  so  low  in  the  water  that  they  could  not  hit  her  effectively. 
They  believed  the  Olympia  was  the  Oregon,  which  had  come  directly  across 
to  join  the  fleet,  and  the  first  report  from  Manila  after  our  fleet  was  sighted 
was  that  the  Philadelphia  comprised  part  of  the  fleet.  Notwithstanding  their 
lack  of  knowledge,  they  fought  like  the  brave  men  they  were,  only  they  could 
not  shoot  straight. 

"  Admiral  Dewey  fought  the  fleet  from  the  top  of  the  pilot  house. 
During  the  action  ninety  signals  were  given  and  all  were  answered  by  the 
other  ships.  The  forward  rigging  was  cut  four  feet  above  Dewey's  head  by 
a  six-pound  shot.  The  signal  halyards  were  shot  away  while  Lieutenant 
Brumby  was  signalling. 

"  On  the  Boston  seven  men  were  on  the  bridge  with  Captain  Frank 
Wildes.  A  shell  crossed  the  bridge  two  feet  above  their  heads  and  burst 
beyond  the  rigging,  driving  the  base  plug  back  on  board.  Wildes  stood  at 
his  post,  his  glasses  in  one  hand  and  a  palmleaf  fan  in  the  other,  and  smoked. 
Between  the  shots  Paymaster  Martin  made  and  served  out  coffee.  Ensign 
Doddridge's  room  was  on  fire  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell. 

"  The  Olympia  shows  nine  shots,  none  of  which  pierced  her  hull.  The 
little  Petrel  is  now  the  pride  of  the  fleet.  Her  light  draught  enabled  her  to 
get  close  to  the  forts,  where  Woods  fearlessly  ran  in.  She  has  been  christened 
'The  Baby.'  The  cruiser  Baltimore  led  the  fleet  to  the  forts.  In  the  second 
engagement  she  was  ordered  to  go  at  top  speed  and  silence  the  batteries. 
She  went  directly  over  the  mines.  Two  exploded  on  each  side,  the  nearest 
within  100  yards.  No  damage  was  done.  While  Wildes  was  absent  at  con- 
ference Woods  heard  of  his  close  call,  and  on  his  return  the  whole  ship 
cheered  Captain  Frank  to  the  echo." 

Admiral  Dewey's  Own  Account. 

Among  the  first  mail  advices  from  Manila  the  War  Department  at 
Washington  received  the  following  letter  from  Admiral  Dewey : 

"FLAGSHIP  OLYMPIA,  CAVITE,  May  4,  1898. 

"  The  squadron  left  Mirs  Bay  on  April  27.  Arrived  off  Bolinao  on  the 
morning  of  April  30,  and,  finding  no  vessels  there,  proceeded  down  the  coast, 
and  arrived  off  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay  on  the  same  afternoon.  The  Bos- 
ton and  Concord  were  sent  to  reconnoitre  Port  Subig.  A  thorough  search  of 
the  port  was  made  by  the  Boston  and  the  Concord,  but  the  Spanish  fleet 
not  found. 


120  STORY   OF   MANILA. 

"  Entered  the  south  channel  at  half-past  eleven  p.  M.,  steaming  in  column 
at  eight  knots.  After  hnlf  the  squadron  had  passed  a  battery  on  the  south 
side  of  the  channel  opened  fire,  none  of  the  shots  taking  effect.  The  Boston 
and  McCulloch  returned  the  fire.  The  squadron  proceeded  across  the  bay 
at  slow  speed  and  arrived  off  Manila  at  daybreak,  and  was  fired  upon  at  a 
quarter  past  five  A.  M,  by  three  batteries  at  Manila  and  two  near  Cavite,  and 
jby  the  Spanish  fleet  anchored  in  an  approximately  east  and  west  line  across 
the  mouth  of  Baker  Bay,  with  their  left  in  shoal  water  in  Canacao  Bay 

Beginning  the  Attack. 

"  The  squadron  then  proceeded  to  the  attack,  the  flagship  Olympia 
under  my  personal  direction,  leading,  followed  at  a  distance  by  the  Baltimore, 
Raleigh,  Petrel,  Concord  and  Boston,  in  the  order  named,  which  formation 
was  maintained  throughout  the  action.  The  squadron  opened  fire  at  nineteen 
minutes  of  six  A.  M.  While  advancing  to  the  attack  two  mines  were  exploded 
ahead  of  the  flagship  too  far  to  be  effective. 

"  The  squadron  maintained  a  continuous  and  precise  fire,  at  ranges  vary- 
ing from  5,000  to  2,000  yards,  counter-marching  in  a  line  approximately 
parallel  to  that  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  The  enemy's  fire  was  vigorous,  but  gen- 
erally ineffective. 

Quite  early  in  the  engagement  the  two  launches  put  out  towards  the 
Olympia  with  the  apparent  intention  of  using  torpedoes.  One  was  sunk  and 
the  other  disabled  by  our  fire  and  beached  before  an  opportunity  occurred  to 
fire  torpedoes. 

"  At  seven  A.  M.  the  Spanish  flagship  Reina  Christina  made  a  desperate 
attempt  to  leave  the  line  and  come  out  to  engage  at  short  range,  but  was 
received  with  such  galling  fire,  the  entire  battery  of  the  Olympia  being  con- 
centrated upon  her,  that  she  was  barely  able  to  return  to  the  shelter  of  the 
point.  Fires  started  in  her  by  our  shells  at  this  time  were  not  extinguished 
until  she  sank. 

*'  The  three  batteries  at  Manila  had  kept  up  a  continuous  fire  from  the 
beginning  of  the  engagement,  which  fire  was  not  returned  by  this  squadron. 
The  first  of  these  batteries  was  situated  on  the  south  mole  head,  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Pasig  River ;  the  second  on  the  south  bastion  of  the  walled 
city  of  Manila,  and  the  third  at  Malate,  about  one-half  mile  further  south.  At 
this  point  I  sent  a  message  to  the  Governor  General  to  the  effect  that  if  the 
batteries  did  not  cease  firing  the  city  would  be  shelled.  This  had  the  effect 
of  silencing  them. 

"  At  twenty-five  minutes  to  eight  A.  M.  I  ceased  firing  and  withdrew  the 
•quadron  for  breakfast.  At  sixteen  minutes  past  eleven  A.  M.  returned  to  the 


STORY  OF   MANILA.  121 

attack.  By  this  time  the  Spanish  flagship  and  almost  the  entire  Spanish  fleet 
were  in  flames.  At  half-past  twelve  p.  M.  the  squadron  ceased  firing,  the  bat- 
teries being  silenced  and  the  ships  sunk,  burnt  and  deserted.  At  twenty  min- 
utes to  one  P.  M.  the  squadron  returned  and  anchored  off  Manila,  the  Petrel 
being  left  behind  to  complete  the  destruction  of  the  smaller  gunboats,  which 
were  behind  the  point  of  Cavite.  This  duty  was  performed  by  Commander 
E,  P.  Wood  in  the  most  expeditious  and  complete  manner  possible. 

"  The  Spanish  lost  the  following  vessels  :  Sunk  —  Reina  Christina,  Castilla, 
Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa.  Burnt  —  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  Isla  de  Luzon,  Isla  de 
Cuba,  General  Lezo,  Marquis  del  Duero,  El  Correo,  Velasco  and  Isla  de 
Mindanao  (transport).  Captured  —  Rapido  and  Hercules  (tugs),  and  several 
small  launches. 

"  I  am  unable  to  obtain  complete  accounts  of  the  enemy's  killed  and 
wounded,  but  believe  their  losses  to  be  very  heavy.  The  Reina  Christina 
alone  had  150  killed,  including  the  captain,  and  ninety  wounded.  I  am 
happy  to  report  that  the  damage  done  to  the  squadron  under  my  command 
was  inconsiderable. 


Another  Account  of  the  Battle. 

The  story  of  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay  was  retold  officially  by  United 
States  Consul  O.  F.  Williams,  in  a  report  to  the  Department  of  State,  dated 
on  board  the  United  States  steamship  Baltimore,  in  Manila  Bay,  May  4, 
Because  this  story  is  told  by  a  civilian  as  he  saw  the  events  of  May  day  from 
the  bridge  of  the  Olympia  and  from  the  quarter  deck  of  the  Baltimore,  it  has 
a  special  and  captivating  interest  of  its  own  which  makes  it  additionally  force- 
ful. He  begins  by  telling  how  the  American  ships  slipped  into  the  harbor 
and  lined  up  for  battle  off  Cavite. 

He  adds:  "At  about  5.30  A.  M.  Sunday,  May  i,the  Spanish  guns  opened 
fire.  With  magnificent  coolness  and  order,  but  with  the  greatest  promptness, 
our  fleet,  in  battle  array,  headed  by  the  flagship,  answered  the  Spanish  attack, 
and  for  about  two  and  a  half  hours  a  most  terrific  fire  ensued. 

"The  method  of  our  operations  could  not  have  shown  greater  system,  our 
guns  greater  effectiveness,  or  our  officers  and  crews  greater  bravery,  and  while 
Spanish  resistance  was  stubborn  and  the  bravery  of  Spanish  forces  such  as  to 
challenge  a  demonstration,  yet  they  were  out-classed,  weighed  in  the  balance 
of  war  against  the  methods,  training,  aim  and  bravery  shown  on  our  decks, 
and  after  less  than  three  hours'  perilous  and  intense  combat  QUQ  of  Spain's? 


STORY  OF  MANILA. 


war  ships  was  sinking,  two  others  were  burning  and  all  others  with  land 
defences  had  severely  suffered  when  our  squadron,  with  no  harm  done  its 
ships,  retired  for  breakfast.  At  about  10  o'clock  A.  M.  Admiral  Dewey 
renewed  the  battle, 
and  with  effect 
most  fatal  with 
*ach  evolution. 

"  No  better  evi- 
dence of  Spanish 
bravery  need  be 
sought  than  that, 
after  the  castiga- 
tion  of  our  first 
engagement,  her 
ships  and  forts 
should  again  an- 
swer our  fire.  But 
the  Spanish  efforts 
were  futile,  ship 
after  ship  and  bat- 
tery after  battery 
went  to  destruc- 
tion before  the  on- 
slaught of  Ameri- 
can energy  and 
training,  and  an 
hour  and  a  half  of 
our  second  engage- 
ment wrought  the 
annihilation  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  and 
forts,  with  several 
hundred  Spaniards 
killedand  wounded 
and  millions  in 

value    of  their   Government's  property  destroyed.     While  amazing,  almost 
unbelievable  as  it  seems,  not  a  ship  or  gun  of  our  fleet  had  been  disabled,  * 
and,  except  on  the  Baltimore,  not  a  man  had  been  hurt. 

"  One  of  the  Baltimore's  crew  had  a  leg  fractured  by  slipping,  and 
another  hurt  in  the  ankle  in  a  similar  manner,  while  four  received  slight 


MAP   OF  THE   PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


STORY   OF   MANILA. 

flesh  wounds  from  splinters  thrown  from  a  6-inch  projectile,  which  pierced 
the  starboard  side  of  the  cruiser.  But  in  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay  the  United 
States  squadron  of  six  war  ships  totally  destroyed  the  Spanish  fleet  of  eight 
war  ships,  many  forts  and  batteries,  and  accomplished  this  work  without  the 
loss  of  a  man. 

"  History  has  only  contrasts.  There  is  no  couplet  to  form  a  comparison. 
The  only  finish  fight  between  the  modern  war  ships  of  civilized  nations  has, 
proven  the  prowess  of  American  naval  men  and  methods,  and  the  glory  is 
allegory  for  the  whole  people.  Our  crews  are  all  hoarse  from  cheering,  and 
while  we  suffer  for  cough  drops  and  throat  doctors  we  have  no  use  for  lini- 
ment or  surgeons. 

Praise  for  Officers  and  Men. 

"  To  every  ship,  officer  and  crew  all  praise  be  given.  As  Victoria  was 
answered  years  ago,  '  Your  Majesty,  there  is  no  second/  so  may  I  report  to 
your  Department  as  to  our  war  ships  conquering  the  Spanish  fleet  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Manila  Bay,  there  is  no  first,  '  there  is  no  second.'  The  cool  bravery 
and  efficiency  of  the  commodore  was  echoed  by  every  captain  and  com- 
mander and  down  through  the  lines  by  every  officer  and  man,  and  naval 
history  of  the  dawning  century  will  be  rich  if  it  furnishes  to  the  world  so 
glorious  a  display  of  intelligent  command  and  successful  service  as  must  be 
placed  to  the  credit  of  the  United  States  Asiatic  Squadron  under  date  of  May 
I,  1898. 

"  It  was  my  lot  to  stand  on  the  bridge  of  the  Baltimore,  by  the  side  of 
Captain  Dyer,  during  the  first  engagement,  and  to  be  called  to  the  flag  ship 
Olympia  by  the  commodore,  at  whose  side  on  the  bridge  I  stood  during  the 
second  engagement." 

Special  interest  attaches  to  the  account  of  the  great  naval  battle  at  Man- 
ila by  the  Spanish  commander.  In  his  official  report  Admiral  Montojo 
speaking  of  the  recent  naval  engagement  in  Manila  Bay,  refers  to  it  in  the 
following  language: 

"  The  Americans  fired  most  rapidly.  There  came  upon  us  numberless 
projectiles,  as  the  three  cruisers  at  the  head  of  the  line  devoted  themselves 
almost  entirely  to  fight  the  Christina,  my  flag-ship.  A  short  time  after  the 
action  commenced  one  shell  exploded  in  the  forecastle  and  put  out  of  action 
all  of  those  who  served  the  four  rapid  fire  cannon,  making  splinters  of  the 
forward  mast,  which  wounded  the  helmsman  on  the  bridge,  when  Lieutenant 
Jose  Nunez  took  the  wheel  with  a  coolness  worthy  of  the  greatest  commen- 
dation, steering  until  the  end  of  the  fight. 

"  In  the  meanwhile  another  shell  exploded  in  the  orlap,  setting  fire  to  the 
crew's  bags,  which  they  were,  fortunately,  able  to  control.    The  enemy  short- 


124 


STORY  OF   MANILA. 


ened  the  distance  between  us,  and,  rectifying  his  aim,  covered  us  with  a  rain 
of  rapid-fire  projectiles. 

"At  half-past  seven  one  shell  destroyed  completely  the  steering  gear. 
I  ordered  to  steer  by  hand  while  the  rudder  was  out  of  action.  In  the  mean- 
while  another  shell  exploded  on  the  poop  and  put  out  of  action  nine  men. 


ADMIRAL   MONTOJO,  COMMANDER   OF  THE   SPANISH   FLEET. 
Another  destroyed  the   mizzenmast  head,  bringing  down  the   flag  and  my 
ensign,  which  were  replaced  immediately. 

"  A  fresh  shell  exploded  in  the  officer's  cabin,  covering  the  hospital  with 
blood,  destroying  the  wounded  who  were  being  treated  there.  Another  ex- 
ploded in  the  ammunition  room  astern,  filling  the  quarters  with  smoke  and 
preventing  the  working  of  the  hand-steering  gear.  As  it  was  impossible  to 
control  the  fire,  I  had  to  flood  the  magazine  when  the  cartridges  were  begin- 
ning to  explode. 


STORY  OF   MANILA.  125 

"  Amidships  several  shells  of  smaller  calibre  went  through  the  smokestack, 
and  one  of  the  large  ones  penetrated  the  fire-room,  putting  out  of  action  one 
master  gunner  and  twelve  men  serving  the  guns.  Another  rendered  useless 
the  starboard  bow  gun.  While  the  fire  astern  increased,  fire  was  started 
forward  by  another  shell,  which  went  through  the  hull  and  exploded  on 
the  deck. 

"  The  broadside  guns,  being  undamaged,  continued  firing  until  there 
were  only  one  gunner  and  one  seaman  remaining  unhurt  for  firing  them,  as 
the  guns'  crews  had  been  frequently  called  on  to  substitute  those  charged 
with  steering,  all  of  whom  were  out  of  action. 

"  The  ship  being  out  of  control,  the  hull,  smokepipe  and  masts  riddled 
with  shot,  half  of  her  crew  out  of  action,  among  whom  were  seven  officers,  I 
gave  the  order  to  sink  and  abandon  the  ship  before  the  magazines  should 
explode,  making  signal  at  the  same  time  to  the  Cuba  and  Luzon  to  assist  in 
saving  the  rest  of  the  crew,  which  they  did,  aided  by  others  from  the  Duro 
and  the  arsenal. 

Ships  Battered  and  Sunk. 

"  I  abandoned  the  Christina,  directing  beforehand  to  secure  her  flag,  and, 
accompanied  by  my  staff,  and  with  great  sorrow,  I  hoisted  my  flag  on  the 
cruiser  Isla  de  Cuba.  After  having  saved  many  men  from  the  unfortunate 
vessel,  one  shell  destroyed  her  heroic  commander,  Don  Luis  Cadaraso,  who 
was  directing  the  rescue.  The  Ulloa,  which  also  defended  herself  firmly,  using 
the  only  two  guns  which  were  available,was  sunk  by  a  shell,  which  entered  at 
the  water  line,  putting  out  of  action  her  commander  and  half  of  her  remaining 
crew,  those  who  were  only  remaining  for  the  service  of  the  two  guns  stated. 

"  The  Castilla,  which  fought  heroically,  with  her  artillery  useless,  except 
one  stern  gun,  with  which  they  fought  spiritedly,  was  riddled  with  shot  and 
set  on  fire  by  the  enemy's  shells,  then  sunk,  and  was  abandoned  by  her  crew, 
in  good  order,  which  was  directed  by  her  commander,  Don  Alonzo  Algaro. 
The  casualties  on  this  ship  were  twenty-three  killed  and  eighty  wounded. 

"  The  Austria,  was  very  much  damaged  and  on  fire,  and  went  to  the  aid 
of  the  Castilla.  The  Luzon  had  three  guns  dismounted  and  was  slightly 
damaged  in  the  hull.  The  Duro  remained,  with  one  of  her  engines  useless, 
the  bow  gun  and  one  of  the  redoubts. 

"At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  enemy's  squadron  having  suspended 
its  fire,  I  ordered  the  ships  that  remained  to  us  to  take  situations  in  the  bottom 
of  the  roads,  at  Bacoor,  and  there  to  resist  to  the  last  moment,  and  that  they 
should  be  sunk  before  they  surrendered. 

"At  half  past  ten  the  enemy  returned,  forming  a  circle  to  destroy  the 
arsenal,  and  the  ships  which  remained  to  me,  opening  upon  them  a  horrible 


126 


STORY  OF  MANILA.  127 

fire,  which  we  answered  as  far  as  we  could  with  the  few  cannon  which  we  still 
had  mounted. 

"  There  remained  the  last  recourse — to  sink  our  vessels — and  we  accom- 
plished this  operation,  taking  care  to  save  the  flag,  the  distinguishing  pennant, 
the  money  in  the  safe,  the  portable  arms,  the  breech  plugs  of  the  guns,  and 
the  signal  codes,  after  which  I  went,  with  my  staff,  to  the  convent  of  Santo 
Domingo  de  Cavite  to  be  cured  of  a  wound  received  in  the  left  leg,  and  to 
telegraph  a  brief  report  of  the  action,  with  preliminaries  and  results. 

"  The  inefficiency  of  the  vessels  which  composed  my  little  squadron,  the 
lack  of  all  classes  of  the  personel,  especially  master  gunners  and  seaman  gun- 
ners, the  inaptitude  of  some  of  the  provisional  machinists,  the  scarcity  of 
rapid-fire  cannon,  the  strong  crews  of  the  enemy,  and  the  unprotected  char- 
acter of  the  greater  part  of  our  vessels,  all  contributed  to  make  more  decided 
the  sacrifice  which  we  made  for  our  country." 

Story  of  a  Jolly  Sailor. 

In  Admiral  Dewey's  fleet  there  was  a  sailor  man  named  William  Savage, 
familiarly  known  to  his  fellows,  no  doubt,  as  Bill.  The  said  Bill,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Raleigh's  crew,  was  so  delighted  with  the  victory  of  the  fleet 
over  the  Dons  that  he  proceeded  to  get  gloriously  full.  He  was  found  by  his 
superior  officers  in  a  condition  where  about  the  only  thing  that  coulcl  be  got 
out  of  him  was  "  Hurrah  and  hurroo,"  and  a  summary  court-martial  was 
summoned  to  try  him. 

The  court-martial  found  that  Bill's  conduct  was  in  serious  violation  of 
the  discipline  of  the  fleet,  and  sentence  was  passed  that  Bill  should  be  con- 
fined for  fifteen  days  in  chains,  with  an  allowance  of  but  one  ration  a  day. 
Before  the  sentence  was  put  into  execution  the  findings  of  the  court  were 
submitted  to  Commodore  Dewey.  This  is  what  Commodore  Dewey  wrote 
on  them,  as  shown  by  the  record  which  arrived  in  Washington  later. 

"  The  proceedings  of  the  court  are  approved ;  the  sentence  is  disapproved, 
and  the  accused,  William  Savage,  is  ordered  to  return  to  his  post  in  consider- 
ation of  the  glorious  victory  won  by  the  fleet  under  my  command. 

"  COMMODORE  DEWEY, 
"  Commanding  the  American  Asiatic  Fleet" 

There  are  no  particulars  given  in  the  proceedings  as  to  where  Sailor 
Savage  got  the  whiskey  with  which  he  had  his  glorious  celebration.  Probably 
he  brought  some  of  his  g'uns  to  bear  upon  one  of  the  bars  of  Cavite.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  the  opinion  of  the  officials  at  the  Navy  Department  was  one  of 
approval  of  Admiral  Dewey's  course  in  overlooking  Sailor  Savage's  breach  of 


123  STORY  OF  MANILA. 

discipline,  under  the  circumstances.  The  incident  has  convinced  the  officials 
at  the  Navy  Department  that,  while  Admiral  Dewey  has  been  most  modest 
in  all  his  reports  bearing  upon  the  achievement  of  his  fleet,  he  is  concealing 
a  vast  amount  of  jubilation. 

The  following  graphic  account  of  the  battle,  under  date  of  May  1st,  is 
by  an  eye-witness  who  was  on  board  Admiral  Dewey 's  flagship,  and  furnishes 
details  of  the  engagement  supplementary  to  those  given  in  the  foregoing 
pages : 

"  Not  one  Spanish  flag  flies  in  Manila  Bay  to-day.  Not  one  Spanish 
warship  floats  except  as  our  prize.  More  than  two  hundred  Spanish  dead 
and  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  wounded  attest  the  accuracy  of  the 
American  fire. 

"Commodore  Dewey  gallantly  attacked  the  Spanish  position  at  Cavite 
this  morning.  He  swept  five  times  along  the  line,  and  scored  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  successes  in  modern  warfare.  That  our  loss  is  trifling  adds  to 
the  pleasure  of  victory  without  detracting  from  its  value.  The  number  of  hits 
our  vessels  received  proved  how  brave  and  stubborn  was  the  defence  made 
by  the  Spanish  forces.  Miraculous  as  it  may  appear,  none  of  our  men  were 
killed,  and  only  eight  wounded.  Those  who  were  wounded  suffered  only 
slight  injuries.. 

"  Commodore  Dewey  arrived  off  Manila  Bay  last  night,  and  decided  to 
enter  the  bay  at  once.  With  all  its  lights  out,  the  squadron  steamed  into 
Bocagrande,  with  crews  at  the  guns.  This  was  the  order  of  the  squadron, 
which  was  kept  during  the  whole  time  of  the  first  battle :  the  flagship 
Olympia,  the  Baltimore,  the  Raleigh,  the  Petrel,  the  Concord,  the  Boston. 

Rapid  Exchange  of  Shot  and  Shell. 

"  It  was  just  eight  o'clock,  a  bright  moonlight  night,  but  the  flagship 
passed  Corregidor  Island  without  a  sign  being  given  that  the  Spaniards  were 
aware  of  its  approach.  Not  until  the  flagship  was  a  mile  beyond  Corregidor 
was  a  gun  fired.  Then  one  heavy  shot  went  screaming  over  the  Raleigh  and 
the  Olympia,  followed  by  a  second,  which  fell  further  astern.  The  Raleigh, 
the  Concord  and  the  Boston  replied,  the  Concord's  shells  exploding  apparently 
exactly  inside  the  shore  battery,  which  fired  no  more.  Our  squadron  slowed 
down  to  barely  steerage  way,  and  the  men  were  allowed  to  sleep  alongside 
their  guns. 

"  Commodore  Dewey  had  timed  our  arrival  so.  that  we  were  within  five 
miles  of  the  city  of  Manila  at  daybreak.  We  then  sighted  the  Spanish 
squadron,  Rear-Admiral  Montojo  commanding,  off  Cavite.  Here  the  Span- 
iards had  a  well-equipped  navy  yard,  called  Cavite  Arsenal.  Admiral  Montojo's 


— 


TESTIMONIAL    TO    THE    HERO    OF    MANILA 

BRONZE  SYMBOLIZES  THE  TWO   NATIONS,  ONE  AS  VICTOR   AND  THE  OTHER 
AS  VANQUISHED 

MAD!  BY   TIFFANY  *  CO.,  NEW  VORK 


MAJOR    GENERAL    H.    W.     LAWTON 


IMS,   BY 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL    F.    V.    GREENE 
COMMANDER  OF  BRIGADE  AT  THE  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA 


SCI  *  IPtCR,  N. 


•?s    FAMOUS    CHAPEL    AND    SHRINE    AT    CAVITE 


.    ^^ 


GENERAL  MILLER 
THE  HERO  OF  ILOILO 


F- 


S4M 


mi« 


-4^  <r» 


HON.    CHARLES    DEWEY 

BROTHER  OF  ADMIRAL  GEORQE  DEWEY 


MRS.    MARY    P.    GREELEY 
SISTER  OF  ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY 


CAPTAIN     EDWARD    DEWEY 

BROTHER  OF  ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY 


STORY  OF   MANILA. 

flag  was  flying  on  the  3,500  ton  protected  cruiser  Reina  Christina.  The  pro- 
tected cruiser  Castilla,  of  3,200  tons,  was  moored  ahead  and  astern  to  the  port 
battery,  and  to  seaward  were  the  cruisers  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  Don  Antonio 
de  Ulloa,  Isla  de  Cuba,  Isla  de  Luzon,  Quiros,  Marquis  del  Onero,  and 
General  Lezox.  These  ships  and  the  flagship  remained  under  way  during 
most  of  the  action. 

"  With  the  United  States  flag  flying  at  all  their  mastheads,  our  ships 
moved  to  the  attack  in  line  ahead,  with  a  speed  of  eight  knots,  first  passing 
in  front  of  Manila,  where  the  action  was  begun  by  three  batteries  mounting 
guns  powerful  enough  to  send  a  shell  over  us  at  a  distance  of  five  miles.  The 
Concord's  guns  boomed  out  a  reply  to  these  batteries  with  two  shots.  No 
more  were  fired,  because  Admiral  Dewey  could  not  engage  with  these  bat- 
teries without  sending  death  and  destruction  into  the  crowded  city.  As  we 
neared  Cavite  two  very  powerful  submarine  mines  were  exploded  ahead  of 
the  flagship.  This  was  at  six  minutes  past  five  o'clock.  The  Spaniards  had 
misjudged  our  position.  Immense  volumes  of  water  were  thrown  high  in  air 
by  these  destroyers,  but  no  harm  was  done  to  our  ships. 

Dashing  Ahead  in  Spite  of  Torpedoes. 

"Admiral  Dewey  had  fought  with  Farragut  at  New  Orleans  and  Mobile 
Bay,  where  he  had  his  first  experience  with  torpedoes.  Not  knowing  how 
many  more  mines  there  might  be  ahead,  he  still  kept  on  without  faltering. 
No  other  mines  exploded,  however,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  Spaniards  had 
only  these  two  in  place. 

"  Only  a  few  minutes  later  tho  shore  battery  at  Cavite  Point  sent  over  the 
flagship  a  shot  that  nearly  hit  the  battery  at  Manila,  but  soon  the  guns  got  a 
better  range,  and  the  shells  began  to  strike  near  us  or  burst  close  aboard  from 
both  the  batteries  and  the  Spanish  vessels.  The  heat  was  intense.  Men 
stripped  off  all  clothing  except  their  trousers. 

"  As  the  Olympia  drew  nearer,  all  was  silent  on  board  as  if  the  ship  had 
been  empty,  except  for  the  whirr  of  blowers  and  the  throb  of  the  engines. 
Suddenly  a  shell  burst  directly  over  us.  From  the  boatswain's  mate  at  the 
after  5-inch  gun  came  a  hoarse  cry.  '  Remember  the  Maine ! '  arose  from  the 
throats  of  five  hundred  men  at  the  guns.  The  watchword  reverberated 
through  turrets  and  firerooms,  and  was  caught  up  wherever  seaman  or  fire- 
man stood  at  his  post. 

"  '  Remember  the  Maine  !  "  had  rung  out  for  defiance  and  revenge.  Its 
utterance  seemed  unpremeditated,  but  was  evidently  in  every  man's  mind, 
and,  now  that  the  moment  had  come  to  make  adequate  reply  to  the  murder 
of  the  Maine's  crew,  every  man  shouted  what  was  in  his  heart 


130  STORY  OF   MANILA. 

"The  Olympia  was  now  ready  to  begin  the  fight.  Admiral  Dewey,  his 
chief  of  staff,  Commander  Lamberton,  and  aide  and  myself,  with  Executive 
Officer  Lieutenant  Rees  and  Navigator  Lieutenant  Calkins,  who  conned  ship 
most  admirably,  were  on  the  forward  bridge.  Captain  Gridley  was  in  the 
conning  tower,  as  it  was  thought  unsafe  to  risk  losing  all  the  senior  officers 
by  one  shell.  '  You  may  fire  when  ready,  Gridley/  said  the  Admiral,  and  at 
nineteen  minutes  of  six  o'clock,  at  a  distance  of  5,500  yards,  the  starboard 
8-inch  gun  in  the  forward  turret  roared  forth  a  compliment  to  the  Spanish 
forts.  Presently  similar  guns  from  the  Baltimore  and  the  Boston  sent  250- 
pound  shells  hurling  toward  the  Castilla  and  the  Reina  Christina  for  accuracy. 
The  Spaniards  seemed  encouraged  to  fire  faster,  knowing  exactly  our  dis- 
tance, while  we  had  to  guess  theirs.  Their  ship  and  shore  guns  were  making 
things  hot  for  us. 

Showers  of  Fragments. 

"  The  piercing  scream  of  shot  was  varied  often  by  the  bursting  of  time 
fuse  shells,  fragments  of  which  would  lash  the  water  like  shrapnel  or  cut  our 
hull  and  rigging.  One  large  shell  that  was  coming  straight  at  the  Olympiads 
forward  bridge  fortunately  fell  within  less  than  one  hundred  feet  away.  One 
fragment  cut  the  rigging  exactly  over  the  heads  of  Lamberton,  Rees  and 
myself.  Another  struck  the  bridge  gratings  in  line  with  it.  A  third  passed 
just  under  Dewey  and  gouged  a  hole  in  the  deck.  Incidents  like  these  were 
plentiful. 

"  Our  men  naturally  chafed  at  being  exposed  without  returning  fire  from 
all  our  guns,  but  laughed  at  danger  and  chatted  good  humoredly.  A  few 
nervous  fellows  could  not  help  dodging  mechanically  when  shells  would  burst 
right  over  them  or  close  aboard,  or  would  strike  the  water  and  passed  over- 
head, with  the  peculiar  spluttering  roar  made  by  a  tumbling  rifled  projectile. 
Still  the  flagship  promptly  steered  for  the  very  centre  of  the  Spanish  line,  and, 
as  our  other  ships  were  astern,  the  Olympia  received  most  of  the  Spaniards' 
attention. 

"  Owing  to  our  deep  draught  Dewey  felt  constrained  to  change  his  course 
at  a  distance  of  four  thousands  yards  and  run  parallel  to  the  Spanish  column. 
'  Open  with  all  guns,'  he  said,  and  the  ship  brought  her  port  broadside  bear- 
•ing.  The  roar  of  all  the  flagship's  5-inch  rapid  firers  was  followed  by  a  deep 
diapason  of  her  after  turret  8-inchers.  Soon  our  other  vessels  were  equally 
hard  at  work,  and  we  could  see  that  our  shells  were  making  Cavite  harbor  hotter 
for  the  Spaniards  than  they  hfed  made  the  approach  for  us. 

"  Protected  by  their  shore  batteries  and  made  safe  from  close  attack  by 
^hallow  water,  the  Spaniards  were  in  a  strong  position.  They  put  up  a 


STORY  OF  MANILA.  131 

gallant  fight.  The  Spanish  ships  were  sailing  back  and  forth  behind  the 
Castilla,  and  their  fire,  too,  was  hot.  One  shot  struck  the  Baltimore  and 
passed  clean  through  her,  fortunately  hitting  no  one.  Another  ripped  up  her 
main  deck,  disabled  a  6-inch  gun  and  exploded  a  box  of  3-pounder  ammuni- 
tion, wounding  eight  men. 

"The  Olympia  was  struck  abreast  the  gun  in  the  wardroom  by  a  shell 
which  burst  outside,  doing  little  damage.  The  signal  halyards  were  cut  from 
Lieutenant  Brumby's  hand  on  the  after  bridge.  A  shell  entered  the  Boston's 
port  quarter  and  burst  in  Ensign  Doddridgc's  stateroom,  starting  a  hot  fire, 
and  fire  was  also  caused  by  a  shell  which  burst  in  the  port  hammock  netting. 
Both  these  fires  were  quickly  put  out.  Another  shell  passed  through  the 
Boston's  foremast  just  in  front  of  Captain  Wildes,  who  at  the  time  was  stand- 
ing on  the  bridge. 

"  After  having  made  four  runs  along  the  Spanish  line,  finding  the  chart 
incorrect,  Lieutenant  Calkins,  the  Olympia's  navigator,  told  the  Commodore 
he  believed  he  could  take  the  ship  nearer  the  enemy,  with  lead  going  to  watch 
the  depth  of  water.  The  flagship  started  over  the  course  for  the  fifth  time, 
running  within  two  thousand  yards  of  the  Spanish  vessels.  At  this  range  even 
6-pounders  were  effective,  and  the  storm  of  shells  poured  upon  the  unfortu- 
nate Spanish  began  to  show  marked  results.  Three  of  the  enemy's  vessels 
were  seen  burning  and  their  fire  slackened. 

Stopping  the  Battle  for  Breakfast. 

"  On  finishing  this  run  Admiral  Dewey  decided  to  give  the  men  break- 
fast, as  they  had  been  at  the  guns  two  hours  with  only  one  cup  of  coffee  to 
sustain  them.  Action  ceased  temporarily  at  twenty-five  minutes  of  eight 
o'clock,  the  other  ships  passing  the  flagship  and  the  men  cheering  lustily. 
Our  ships  remained  beyond  range  of  the  enemy's  guns  until  ten  minutes  of 
eleven  o'clock,  when  the  signal  for  close  action  went  up.  The  Baltimore  had 
the  place  of  honor  in  the  lead,  with  the  flagship  following  and  the  other  ships 
as  before. 

"  The  Baltimore  began  firing  at  the  Spanish  ships  and  batteries  at  sixteen 
minutes  past  eleven  o'clock,  making  a  series  of  hits  as  if  at  target  practice. 
The  Spaniards  replied  very  slowly,  and  the  Admiral  signalled  the  Raleigh, 
the  Boston,  the  Concord  and  the  Petrel  to  go  into  the  inner  harbor  and  de- 
stroy all  the  enemy's  ships.  By  her  light  draught  the  little  Petrel  was  en- 
abled to  move  within  one  thousand  yards.  Here,  firing  swiftly  but  accurately, 
she  commanded  everything  still  flying  the  Spanish  flag.  Other  ships  were 
also  doing  their  whole  duty,  and  soon  not  one  red  and  yellow  ensign  remained 
*loft,  except  on  a  battery  up  the  coast 


132  STORY  OF   MANILA. 

"  The  Spanish  flagship  and  the  Castilla  had  long  been  burning  fiercely, 
and  the  last  vessel  to  be  abandoned  was  the  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa,  which 
lurched  over  and  sank. 

"  Then  the  Spanish  flag  on  the  Arsenal  staff  was  hauled  down,  and  at 
half-past  twelve  o'clock  a  white  flag  was  hoisted  there.  Signal  was  made  to 
the  Petrel  to  destroy  all  the  vessels  in  the  inner  harbor,  and  Lieutenant 
Hughes,  with  an  armed  beat's  crew,  set  fire  to  the  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  the 
Marquis  del  Duero,  the  Isla  de  Cuba  and  the  Correo.  The  large  transport 
Manila  and  many  tugboats  and  small  craft  fell  into  our  hands. 

'"Capture  and  destroy  Spanish  squadron/  were  Dewey's  orders.  Never 
were  instructions  more  effectually  carried  out.  Within  seven  hours  after 
arriving  on  the  scene  of  action  nothing  remained  to  be  done.  The  Admiral 
closed  the  day  by  anchoring  off  the  city  of  Manila  and  sending  word  to  the 
Governor  General  that  if  a  shot  was  fired  from  the  city  at  the  fleet  he  would 
lay  Manila  in  ashes." 

The  foregoing  account  by  an  eye-witness  conveys  a  clear  idea  of  Dewey's 
tactics,  courage  and  overwhelming  triumph.  It  describes  a  naval  engage- 
ment  and  victory  that  will  live  in  the  annals  of  our  country. 

DEWEY'S  DISCRETION. 

'•"  Go,  and  use  your  best  discretion,"  Cast  adrift  by  ultra  neutrals, 

So,  to  Dewey  went  the  word,  Coal  and  rations  running  short, 

Far  from  home  and  friendly  station ;  He  must  find  another  haven, 

Sole  reliance  now  his  sword.  Take  and  hold  a  hostile  port. 

Stealing  through  ill-guarded  channels, 

Ere  the  sun  has  shown  his  face, 
In  Manila's  land-locked  harbor, 

He  beheld  the  fateful  place. 

Never  mind  their  damp  torpedoes ; 

Spanish  gunners  never  see. 
Pass  the  word  along  the  squadron : 

"  Steam  ahead  !  and  follow  me  !  " 

Ships  of  Spain,  and  forts  and  cannon 

Roared  objections,  loud  and  long, 
But  the  "dogs  of  war" — and  Dewey — 

Plucked  the  battle  from  the  strong. 

"  'Twas  not  reckless  love  of  danger 

Spurred  him  onward  to  his  goal, 
Twas  a  Yankee  man's  discretion 

Whisoered  in  his  ear ;  '  Go  and  coal ! ' " — EDMUND  MARSH. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Superb  Valor  of  the  American  Fleet  at  Manila. 

MONG  the  passengers  who  arrived  at  San  Francisco  on  the  Belgic 
from  Hong  Kong  were  four  men  who  participated  in  the  fight  of 
Manila,  on  May  I.  They  were  paymaster  G.  A.  Loud,  of  the  dis- 
patch boat  McCulloch ;  Dr.  Charles  P.  Kindleberger,  surgeon  of 
the  Olympia ;  Ralph  Phelps,  secretary  to  the  captain  of  the  McCulloch,  and 
J.  C.  Evans,  gunner  of  the  Boston. 

They  all  spoke  of  the  valor  and  determination  of  their  opponents  in  the 
battle  of  Manila.  They  said  that  the  Spaniards  fought  bravely,  even  after  the 
last  vestige  of  hope  had  gone,  and  stayed  by  their  guns  as  long  as  they  could 
be  used.  Dr.  Kindleberger  gave  a  graphic  account  of  the  terrific  fight.  He 
was  on  the  Olympia  through  it  all.  In  the  first  assault  the  flagship  took  the 
lead,  the  other  vessels  following  in  her  wake  at  four  ships'  lengths.  At  one 
time  the  smoke  became  so  dense  that  it  was  necessary  to  draw  aside,  allowing 
the  cloud  to  lift.  The  vessels  were  examined,  and  it  was  found  they  had  sus- 
tained no  damage. 

Breakfast  was  then  served  to  the  men,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  re- 
entered  the  fight  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  The  second  fight  was  even 
more  fierce  than  the  first.  It  was  in  that  that  the  Baltimore  was  struck. 

During  the  first  fight  the  Spanish  admiral's  ship  put  bravely  out  of  the 
line  to  meet  the  Olympia.  The  entire  American  fleet  concentrated  fire  on 
her,  and  she  was  so  badly  injured  that  she  turned  around  to  put  back.  At 
this  juncture  the  Olympia  let  fly  an  8-inch  shell,  which  struck  her  stern  and 
pierced  through  almost  her  entire  length,  exploding  finally  in  the  engine 
room,  wrecking  her  machinery.  This  shell  killed  the  captain  and  sixty  men 
and  set  the  vessel  on  fire. 

In  the  heat  of  the  fight  the  two  torpedo  boats  moved  out  to  attack  the 
fleet.  They  were  allowed  to  come  within  800  yards,  when  a  fusilade  from  the 
Oiympia  sent  one  to  the  bottom  with  all  on  board  and  riddled  the  other. 
The  second  boat  was  later  found  turned  upon  the  beach  covered  with  blood. 
In  the  second  fight  the  Baltimore  was  sent  to  silence  the  fort  at  Cavite.  She 
plunged  into  a  cloud  of  smoke  and  opened  all  her  batteries  on  trie  fortifica- 
tions. In  a  very  few  minutes  a  shell  struck  the  ammunition  and  the  fort  blew 
up  with  a  deafening  roar, 

133 


134  DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF   MANILA, 

The  work  on  the  Baltimore  was  glorious.  After  the  principal  ships  of 
the  enemy  had  been  destroyed,  the  Concord,  Raleigh  and  Petrel,  being  of 
light  draught,  were  sent  in  to  handle  the  remaining  vessels  of  the  fleet.  They 
made  quick  work  of  them.  In  taking  possession  of  the  land  forts  several 
hundred  wounded  Spaniards  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans  and  nearly 
2OO  dead  were  accounted  for  on  the  spot.  Holes  in  which  numbers  had  been 
hastily  buried  were  found.  The  dead  were  returned  to  relatives  so  far  as  this 
could  be  done,  and  the  wounded  were  cared  for  in  the  best  manner  by  the 
American  surgeons. 

After  the  first  battle  the  Americans  were  greatly  fagged  out  by  heat,  and 
the  rest  and  breakfast  allowed  them  by  the  Commodore  was  of  inestimable 
benefit.  When  the  men  were  at  breakfast,  a  conference  of  all  officers  was  held 
on  board  the  Olympia,  when  the  plan  of  the  second  battle  was  made  known 
by  the  Commodore. 

Several  shots  struck  the  Olympia  and  she  was  pierced  a  number  of  times. 
One  shell  struck  the  side  of  the  ship  against  the  hospital  ward.  The  chaplain 
and  nurses  who  were  watching  the  fight  through  a  port  hole  a  few  inches 
away  were  stunned  by  the  concussion. 

Experts  have  figured  out  the  fighting  volume  of  the  guns  of  the  respect- 
ive sides  of  the  battle  was  three  for  the  Americans  against  seven  for  Spanish. 
It  is  clear  then,  that  the  superiority  was  in  the  ships  and  the  men,  the  latter 
having  the  experience  and  nerve.  Gunner  Evans,  of  the  Boston,  directed  the 
fire  of  one  of  the  big  guns.  Not  a  man  on  the  Boston  received  a  scratch. 

Steady  Thunder  of  Cannon. 

Paymaster  Loud,  who  was  on  the  McCulloch,  during  the  battle  and  was 
a  witness  of  events  on  both  sides,  furnishes  an  interesting  account  of  the 
battle.  From  his  position  he  could  see  every  movement  of  the  American 
ships  and  could  also  see  the  Spaniards. 

*'  For  two  hours,"  said  Mr.  Loud,  "  the  steady  thunder  of  cannon  was 
kept  up.  The  roar  was  something  terrible.  At  one  time,  I  really  thought 
we  would  be  beaten.  This  was  after  the  fire  had  been  kept  up  an  hour.  It 
looked  like  every  gun  on  the  Spanish  ships  had  turned  loose  on  us  all  toge- 
ther and  the  shore  line  was  a  veritable  blaze  of  fire  from  the  batteries.  The 
din  was  simply  indescribable.  Tons  upon  tons  of  shot  fell  over  our  ships. 
There  was  steel  enough  to  have  sunk  our  entire  fleet. 

"  Our  salvation  was  in  the  bad  marksmanship  of  the  Spaniards.  They 
handled  their  pieces  like  children.  Nearly  all  of  their  shots  went  wide. 
Most  of  them  were  high,  flying  over  the  fleet  and  falling  into  the  bay  beyond. 
Some  of  the  batteries,  however,  were  better  trained.  Several  guns  maintained 


DEWEY'S   MEN    TELL   OF    MANILA.  135 

a  raking  fire  on  the  fleet.  Nearly  all  of  our  ships  were  struck  by  both  large 
and  small  shot,  but  no  damage  of  consequence  was  done. 

"  We  left  Manila  on  the  5th.  At  that  time  Commodore  Dewey  was  in 
possession  of  the  shore  forts  and  arsenal.  Considerable  ammunition  and  some 
fair  guns  were  captured. 

"  Manila,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  had  not  been  taken,  and  it  was 
not  the  intention  of  the  admiral  to  do  so  at  that  time.  Of  course  the  city  and 
its  suburbs  were  completely  at  the  mercy  of  our  guns  and  we  could  have  laid 
it  in  ruins  in  a  very  short  time.  But  the  force  on  the  warships  is  too  small  to 
land  and  take  possession." 

A  letter  from  Manila  said  the  Spaniards  were  so  sure  of  whipping  the 
Americans  that  they  had  prepared  a  prison  for  them.  It  was  the  infamous 
Black  Hole  of  Manila,  where  so  many  insurgents  were  smothered  to  death 
in  1897. 

The  letter  briefly  adds :  "  Living  aboard  the  vessels  is  simply  awful  on 
Account  of  the  extreme  heat  which  we  are  bound  to  endure.  In  addition  to 
the  heat  of  this  place  everything  on  board  ship  is  at  fever  heat,  with  fires  kept 
constantly  up  in  four  boilers  and  everything  closed  up.  You  can  have  no 
idea  what  it  is." 

Spaniards  Sure  They  Could  Defeat  the  Yankees. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  New  York  an  engineer  of  the  Baltimore  wrote, 
a  week  after  the  fight :  "  The  Spaniards  were  absolutely  confident  of  victory. 
No  other  outcome  was  anticipated  by  them  :  no  preparations  were  made  for 
a  different  result.  I  think  that  their  ships,  combined  with  their  forts,  made 
them  equal  to  us,  so  far  as  powers  of  offence  and  defence  were  concerned. 
They  had  as  many  modern  guns  approximately  the  same  size  as  we  had,  and 
more  men  to  fire  them.  They  should  have  been  able  to  fire  as  much  weight 
of  shot  in  a  specified  time  as  we  did. 

"  The  whole  thing,  in  other  words,  lay  in  the  fact  that  it  was  the  Ameri- 
can against  the  Spaniard,  the  Anglo-Saxon  against  the  Latin.  Every  shot 
fired  from  our  fleet  was  most  deliberately,  coolly  and  pitilessly  aimed.  The 
Spaniards  fired  an  enormous  number  of  times,  but  with  apparently  the  most 
impracticable  aim.  Shells  dropped  all  around  our  ships ;  we  were  in  action 
for  over  four  hours  ;  hundreds  of  shot  and  shell  fell  close  to  us.  Only  five  or 
six  pierced  us  and  they  did  no  damage. 

"  The  damage  done  by  our  ships  was  frightful.  I  have  visited  all  of  the 
sunken  Spanish  ships,  and,  had  I  not  seen  the  effects  of  American  marksman- 
ship, I  would  hardly  give  credit  to  reports  of  it.  One  smokestack  of  the 
Castilla,  a  3, 300- ton  Spanish  ship,  was  struck  eight  times,  and  the  shells 


136  DEWEY'S   MEN   TELL   OF   MANILA. 

through  the  hull  were  so  many  and  so  close  that  it  is  impossible  that  a 
Spaniard  could  have  lived  on  her  deck.  The  other  large  ship,  the  Reina 
Christina,  was  perforated  in  the  same  way. 

"  The  lesson  I  draw  from  the  fight  is  the  great  utility  of  target  practice. 
The  Spaniard  has  none ;  we  have  it  every  three  months.  Strength  of  navies 
are  compared  generally  ship  for  ship;  the  personnel  is  just  as  important.  I 
am  confident  that,  had  we  manned  the  Spanish  ships  and  had  the  Spaniards 
manned  our  fleet,  the  American  side  would  have  been  as-  victorious  as  it  was. 
The  Spaniard  certainly  was  brave,  for  he  stuck  to  his  guns  till  the  last. 

"  The  hard  part  of  this  engagement  was  not  the  fighting  part,  that  was  all 
right,  but  it  was  in  getting  ready  for  it.  I  was  thirty-two  hours  without 
relief  or  rest  in  the  engine-rooms  of  the  Baltimore,  the  temperature  varying 
from  1 20  to  1 60  degrees.  Since  the  fight  we  have  eased  down  on  work  and 
are  taking  it  easy,  except  for  a  strict  watch," 

Too  Late  to  Save  the  Islands. 

A  most  gloomy  message  was  received  by  the  Government  at  Madrid, 
on  May  8th,  from  the  Governor  General  of  the  Philippines.  As  the  result  a 
member  of  the  Cabinet  admitted  that  the  despatch  of  Spanish  troops  could  not 
save  the  Philippine  Islands.  He  added:  "We  could  send  six  thousand 
troops;  but,  if  the  natives  are  against  us  such  a  force  would  be  inadequate. 
If  they  were  with  us,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  send  troops  to  the  Philip^ 
pine  Islands." 

A  communication  from  Captain  General  Augusti  was  as  follows  :  *'  The* 
situation  is  very  grave.  Aguinaldo  has  succeeded  in  stirring  up  the  country, 
and  the  telegraph  lines  and  railways  are  being  cut.  I  am  without  communica- 
tion with  the  provinces.  The  province  of  Cavite  has  completely  rebelled,  and 
the  towns  and  villages  are  occupied  by  numerous  bands.  A  Spanish  column 
defends  the  Zapote  line  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  invading  the  province  of 
Manila,  but  the  foe  has  entered  through  Bulacon,  Lagina  and  Moron,  so  that 
Manila  will  thus  be  attacked  by  land  and  sea. 

"  I  am  striving  to  raise  the  courage  of  the  inhabitants,  and  will  exhaust 
every  means  of  resistance,  but  I  distrust  the  natives  and  the  volunteers 
because  there  have  already  been  many  desertions.  Bacoor  and  Imus  have 
already  been  seized  by  the  enemy.  The  insurrection  has  reached  great  pro- 
portions, and  if  I  cannot  count  upon  the  support  of  the  country  the  forces  at 
my  disposal  will  not  suffice  to  hold  the  ground  against  two  enemies." 

An  interesting  letter  was  received  at  Easton,  Pa.,  by  Judge  Scott 
from  his  son,  Ensign  W.  Pitt  Scott,  of  Admiral  Dewey's  flagship  Olympia, 
describing  the  great  victory  in  Manila  Bay  on  Sunday  morning,  May  is£ 


DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF   MANILA.  137 

Ensign  Scott  was  especially  commended  by  Admiral  Dewey  in  his  official 
report  for  his  efficient  work  during  the  conflict.  The  letter  is  dated  on  board 
the  Olympia,  at  Cavite,  Manila  Bay,  on  May  nth.  The  writer,  telling  of  the 
opening  of  the  famous  fight,  said : 

"  The  Spaniards  had  ten  ships  fighting  to  our  six,  and,  in  addition,  had 
five  or  six  shore  batteries,  some  of  which  bothered  us  a  good  deal.  We 
steamed  by  the  line  and  fired  some  deadly  shot  at  them.  We  had  anticipated 
that  once  across  their  line  would  be  sufficient  to  silence  them,  but  they  did 
not  yield,  and  so  when  we  got  to  the  end  of  the  line  we  turned  and  went 
back  at  them  again.  It  was  getting  real  interesting  now,  for  many  of  their 
shots  were  coming  close  aboard,  and  the  screech  of  the  shots  as  they  whistled 
over  our  heads  was  anything  but  pleasant. 

"  Now  and  then  we  would  see  a  shot  strike  in  the  water  ahead  of  us  and 
explode  and  the  pieces  of  it  come  at  us.  I  will  never  forget  it.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  how  little  it  disturbed  us.  I  never  believed  that  I  would  ever 
feel  so  entirely  unconcerned  while  the  shots  were  falling  all  around.  No  one 
seemed  to  care  an  iota  whether  the  shells  dropped  on  us  or  fell  a  long  distance 
away,  and  in  the  intervals,  between  which  we  were  making  signals,  the  most 
commonplace  remarks  were  made. 

"  We  passed  across  the  enemy's  line  the  second  time,  but  that  did  not 
seem  to  silence  then,  any  more  than  the  first,  and  we  had  to  try  it  a  third 
time,  with  no  better  result,  although  perhaps  their  fire  was  not  so  heavy  as  at 
first.  A  small  torpedo  boat  came  out  and  attempted  to  get  within  striking 
distance  of  the  Olympia,  but  our  secondary  battery  drove  her  in ;  a  second 
time  she  came  out  and  at  us,  but  again  our  fire  was  too  much  for  her,  and 
some  of  our  shots  striking  her  she  had  barely  time  to  get  back  to  the  beach, 
or  she  would  have  sunk. 

Flagship  Bore  the  Brunt. 

"  It  soon  became  apparent  that  the  Spaniards  were  concentrating  their 
fire  on  the  Olympia  (as  flagship),  and  we  then  received  the  brunt  of  the  fight. 
At  one  time  the  Reina  Christina,  the  Spanish  flagship,  attempted  to  come  out 
from  her  position  and  engage  us  at  closer  distance,  but  we  turned  our  fire  on 
her  and  drove  her  back.  A  fourth  time  we  steamed  across  their  line,  and  a 
fifth,  and  it  began  to  look  as  if  they  were  not  going  to  give  in  until  after  all 
our  ammunition  would  be  exhausted,  which  would  leave  us  in  a  very  serious 
predicament,  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy  and  in  one  of  their  ports,  being  over 
seven  thousand  miles  from  supplies ;  so  after  the  fifth  time  across  their  line 
we  withdrew  to  count  up  our  ammunition,  to  see  how  we  stood  and  to  ge* 
breakfast. 


138  DEWEY'S   MEN    TELL   OF    MANILA. 

"  It  was  only  7.30,  but  it  seemed  to  us  all  as  if  it  were  the  middle  of  the 
day.  Then  we  began  to  count  our  casualties,  and  found  that  no  one  had 
been  killed  and  none  injured,  with  a  few  slight  exceptions.  But  it  was  the 
dirtiest-looking  crowd  that  I  have  ever  seen,  and  by  far  the  oddest.  It  was 
so  hot  that  many  had  stripped  off  nearly  all  their  clothes;  in  fact,  in  the  tur- 
rets they  did  strip  off  about  everything  except  their  shoes,  which  they  kept 
on  to  protect  their  feet  from  the  hot  floor. 

"  The  Commodore  himself,  the  most  dressed  man  in  the  battle,  was  in 
white  duck ;  the  rest  of  us  appeared  without  collars  and  some  without  shirts, 
an  undershirt  and  a  white  blouse  being  more  than  sufficient  for  our  needs, 
and,  if  our  blouses  were  not  off,  they  certainly  were  not  buttoned. 

"  We  were  a  mighty  dirty  crowd.  Our  faces  and  clothes  were  full  of 
smoke  and  powder  and  saltpetre,  and  the  perspiration  rolling  around  in  that 
way  made  us  picturesquely  handsome.  I  would  have  given  a  good  deal  for  a 
picture  of  the  ship's  company,  men  and  officers.  Then  we  looked  around  to 
see  where  the  ship  had  been  injured,  and  found  that  she  had  been  struck 
several  times,  none  of  which  materially  hurt  her.  On  the  bridge,  where  we 
stood,  was  perhaps  the  hottest  place  of  all,  for  at  least  four  shots  struck 
within  thirty  or  forty  feet  of  it. 

A  Shot  Outs  Through  the  Rigging. 

"  One  of  the  shots  with  an  ugly  screech  flew  over  our  heads,  but  its  cry 
was  a  little  different  from  most  of  the  others,  and  several  of  us  said,  *  That  hit 
something,'  and  we  looked  aloft  to  see  if  it  had,  and  found  die  halliards  on 
which  we  had  a  signal  flying  cut  in  two  and  the  signal  out  to  leeward; 
another  shot  cut  the  wire  rigging  ten  feet  over  our  heads,  while  any  number 
flew  close  over  us  without  striking  anything. 

"About  half-past  ten  we  returned  to  the  attack  and  gave  the  Baltimore 
the  post  of  honor  in  leading  the  attack,  as  we  were  very  short  of  5 -inch 
ammunition,  and  the  way  that  the  Baltimore  did  fire  into  the  Spanish  bat- 
teries was  a  caution.  It  was  not  long  before  the  enemy  was  completely 
silenced  and  the  white  flag  run  up.  Two  of  their  ships  were  on  fire  and 
burning  fiercely,  and  one  was  sinking,  The  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa  was  the 
last  to  give  in,  and  after  she  was  abandoned  by  her  crew  still  kept  her  flag 
flying,  which  necessitated  our  firing  at  her  until  it  was  lowered,  but  as  no  one 
was  left  on  board  to  lower  it  we  kept  firing  at  her  until  she  slowly  began  to 
sink.  It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  her  slowly  settle  aft,  with  the  flag  of  Spain 
with  her. 

"  Then  we  sent  some  of  the  smaller  ships  in  to  destroy  those  that  were  still 
afloat  and  the  Petrel  burned  and  sunk  four  or  five  of  them,  while  the  Concord 


DEWEY'S   MEN   TELL   OF   MANILA.  139 

fired  a  large  transport,  which  we  afterwards  learned  was  quite  full  of  coal  and  stuff 
for  the  Spaniards.  Altogether  our  six  ships,  the  Olympia,  Baltimore,  Raleigh, 
Boston,  Concord  and  Petrel,  burned  and  sunk  almost  the  entire  Spanish  fleet 
that  is  in  the  East,  as  follows,  viz.  :  Sunk,  the  Reina  Christina  (flagship), 
Castilla  and  Antonio  de  Ulloa,  and  burned  the  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  the 
Isla  de  Cuba,  the  Isla  de  Luzon,  the  Marques  del  Duero,  the  Velasco,  the  Gen- 
eral Lezo,  the  El  Correo  and  the  transport  Isla  de  Mindanao. 

"  There  is  still  one  small  vessel,  the  Argus,  on  the  ways,  but  she  is  so 
badly  damaged  by  shot  that  I  doubt  if  she  would  float  if  we  tried  to  put  her 
into  the  water.  Besides,  we  captured  the  Manila,  a  splendid  1,900- ton  vessel, 
which  they  used  as  a  transport,  and  on  which  we  expect  to  send  home  our 
trophies  in  the  way  of  captured  guns,  etc.  We  also  captured  any  number  of 
tugs  and  steam  launches,  some  of  which  we  burned,  and  others  which  we  are 
now  using.  Some  of  them  are  very  fine  tug  boats. 

White  Flags  Flying  Over  the  City. 

"  The  city  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Spanish,  although  there  have  been 
two  or  three  white  flags  flying  in  the  city.  We  have  complete  possession  of 
the  city  of  Cavite,  which  is  their  principal  naval  station,  and  is  about  four  miles 
below  the  city,  and  have  gone  ashore  and  quietly  helped  ourselves  to  all 
kinds  of  stores  that  we  might  need,  and  of  which  we  found  large  quantities 
in  the  navy  yard. 

"  By  half-past  one  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon,  eight  hours  after  the  first 
shot  was  fired  from  Cavite,  we  had  entire  possession  of  the  place,  and  we  again 
withdrew  and  anchored  for  a  rest.  I  did  not  get  a  chance  to  get  below  to  get 
anything  to  eat  until  nearly  three  o'clock,  and  it  hardly  seemed  as  if  I  was 
going  down  to  dinner.  Every  one  has  said  the  same  thing,  and  they  all  speak 
of  the  first  half  of  the  engagement  (that  from  5.35  to  7.35  A.M.)  as  the  fore- 
noon fight,  and  the  second  half,  which  commenced  about  10.30  A.  M.,  as  the 
afternoon  fight.  We  could  hardly  bring  ourselves  to  realize  that  it  was  so 
early  in  the  day. 

"  Every  one  seemed  proud  of  the  wounds,  that  is  to  the  ships.  The  even- 
ing of  the  fight  I  had  to  go  around  to  the  different  ships  on  an  errand  for  the 
Commodore,  and  on  each  one  all  hands  made  it  a  point  to  take  me  around 
and  show  me  where  each  shot  hit  them.  The  Raleigh  was  hit  in  one  of  her 
boats,  the  shot  going  through  both  sides  and  striking  a  gun  on  the  opposite 
side,  which  it  twirled  around  on  its  pivot  like  a  top,  but  glanced  off  and 
injured  no  one. 

"  The  Baltimore  had  a  shell  strike  her  on  one  side,  go  through  her, 
exploding  a  box  of  rapid-fire  ammunition,  then  going  through  two  sides  of 


140  DEWEY'S   MEN   TELL  OF   MANILA. 

the  engine  room  hatch,  and  striking  a  six-inch  gun  on  the  other  side,  which 
it  put  out  of  commission,  then  glanced  off  and  returned  to  the  other  side  of 
the  deck  again  and  carried  away  a  piece  of  an  iron  ladder,  when  it  fell  down 
on  deck,  and  later  was  picked  up.  The  course  of  this  shot  was  very  eagerly 
pointed  out  to  me  by  Cone  and  two  others,  who  were  all  very  proud  of  it. 
They  told  me  they  also  got  two  other  bad  shots. 

"  The  Boston  got  a  hole  in  her  foremast,  just  over  the  captain's  head, 
while  a  shot  struck  her  in  the  wake  of  Doddridge's  room,  went  into  his  room, 
where  it  exploded,  set  fire  to  it,  and  burned  his  clothes.  The  fire  and  water 
made  a  pretty  bad  wreck  of  his  uniforms.  The  Concord  and  the  Petrel,  I 
believe,  were  neither  of  them  hit,  but  as  I  said  before  the  Olympia  was  hit 
eight  times,  and  we  were  as  proud  as  peacocks  of  the  shots.  One  or  two  of 
them,  I  believe,  were  photographed  by  the  newspaper  correspondents,  so  you 
may  see  how  slight  they  were,  and  how  much  fuss  we  made  over  them.  We 
considered  the  scars  very  honorable. 

Batteries  Captured  and  Guns  Destroyed. 

"  We  do  not  know  exactly  what  we  are  going  to  do  now.  We  sent 
some  of  the  ships  down  to  Corregidor,  where  we  captured  the  batteries, 
paroled  the  garrisons  and  destroyed  the  guns.  We  can  take  the  city  of 
Manila  at  any  time  we  choose,  for  they  have  but  two  or  three  batteries  left, 
but  we  have  not  troops  enough  here  to  hold  it.  We  hear  that  troops  are  to 
be  sent  out  from  San  Francisco,  but  do  not  know  whether  they  are  coming  or 
not.  The  rebels  have  risen  and  have  completely  surrounded  the  town,  and  I 
believe  the  inhabitants  are  much  more  afraid  of  them  than  they  are  of  us,  for 
the  rebels,  if  they  could  only  once  get  a  chance,  will  show  no  mercy  to  the 
Spaniards. 

"  The  thing  that  we  were  most  afraid  of  was  that  the  North  Atlantic 
fleet  would  get  in  some  big  engagements  before  we  had  a  chance,  but  frorr 
the  scanty  news  which  we  get  I  guess  we  have  them  on  the  hip  this  time. 

"  The  harbor  presents  quite  an  unusual  appearance  with  eight  or  nine 
ships  showing  just  above  water,  the  masts  charred  and  their  upper  works 
(those  that  can  be  seen)  nothing  but  a  twisted  mass  of  iron.  It  looks  as  if  we 
had  done  something  to  pay  the  debt  we  owe  them  for  the  Maine  I  got 
ashore  several  days  after  the  engagement  and  walked  through  the  navy  yard. 
It  presents  a  woful  sight.  The  barracks  had  any  number  of  holes  in  the  sides 
ind  things  were  strewn  all  over.  In  one  room  of  the  commandant's  house 
ye  saw  where  a  large  eight-inch  shell  had  gone  through  the  roof,  and  after 
carrying  away  the  thick  planking  had  exploded,  knocking  down  the  side  of 
the  room  and  wrecking  everything  in  it.  In  another  building  I  saw  where  a 


DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF   MANILA.  141 

shell  had  gone  through  the  side  of  the  building,  and  had  scattered  the  bricks 
all  over  the  room. 

"  We  are  very  busy  all  day,  and  part  of  the  night,  too.  It  is  extremely 
hot,  and  everybody  is  suffering  from  it.  We  cannot  sleep  below,  but  take 
our  bedding  on  deck  at  night,  and  sleep  there,  but  the  rainy  season  is  coming 
on  and  then  I  don't  know  what  we  will  do.  Even  now  it  rains  occasionally 
at  night,  and  we  have  to  hurry  below,  or  else  spread  a  rain  coat  over  us.  We 
go  around  without  collar  or  shirt,  and  even  then  the  heat  is  something  fear- 
ful. To-day  there  were  over  fifty  people  on  the  sick  list  from  the  entire  fleet; 
which  is  a  very  large  number,  and  many  who  are  not  on  the  sick  list  are 
really  sick  and  hardly  fit  for  duty. 

Suffering  From  the  Heat. 

"  Both  the  captain  of  this  ship  and  the  captain  of  the  Boston  are  down, 
as  is  also  the  chief  of  staff.  I  am  in  first-rate  health,  but  don't  believe  I  ever 
felt  the  heat  half  so  much.  It  is  lucky  we  have  an  ice  machine  aboard,  but 
the  sea  water  is  so  warm  that  we  make  only  about  enough  to  have  ice  water 
around  meal  times.  We  also  get  enough  to  keep  cool  what  fresh  provisions 
we  may  have  left.  We  are  living  pretty  much  on  sea  stores  now.  It  is  too 
hot  to  take  a  bath  with  fresh  water,  for  it  will  almost  scald  you,  and  even  the 
salt  water  is  very  warm." 

Other  features  of  the  battle  in  Manila  Bay  were  described  by  an  eye- 
witness on  one  of  Dewey's  ships  as  follows  :  "  With  decks  cleared  for  action, 
guns  shotted,  crews  all  at  quarters  and  eagerly  peering  through  the  portholes, 
Commodore  Dewey  having  previously  made  signal  to  follow  the  flagship, 
headed  for  the  entrance  of  Manila  Bay,  between  the  batteries  on  the  islands 
of  Puto  Cabello  and  El  Fraile  at  10  p.  M.,  on  Saturday  night,  April  3Oth. 
Here  were  the  guns  that  were  to  blow  us  out  of  the  water,  and  the  much- 
vaunted  torpedo  mine  field  that  was  impossible  to  pass  over  without  a  skilled 
pilot.  At  10.20  a  signal  light  and  a  gun  on  the  beach  announced  that  we 
had  probably  been  seen. 

"  The  night  was  bright,  moonlight  and  unfavorable  for  us,  but  the  dark 
gray  green  paint,  and  the  inky  darkness  on  board  ship,  prevented  any  estimate 
of  our  character  being  made. 

"  The  Olympia  and  Baltimore  slipped  through  unseen  by  the  gunners 
on  El  Fraile,  but  a  sudden  roar,  a  flash,  and  an  eight-inch  shell  whistled  over 
the  Raleigh,  and  exploded  close  alongside.  The  ball  was  opened,  and  a  five- 
inch  shell  from  her  bro'te  the  silence  of  the  American  fleet,  but  the  course 
or  speed  was  not  changed.  Three  more  shots  were  fired  at  the  Concord  and 
Boston,  and  they  wen  promptly  replied  to,  after  which  the  fleet  was  out  of 


142  DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF  MANILA. 

range.  Speed  was  then  slackened,  and  the  column  headed  up  the  bay  for 
Manila,  thirty  miles  distant. 

"  The  Commodore  skirted  the  city  at  early  dawn,  but  the  Spanish  fleet 
was  not  there.  Soon  afterward  it  was  distinguished,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle, 
off  the  strongly  fortified  arsenal  of  Cavite,  seven  miles  from  Manila.  The 
signal .'  prepare  for  general  action  and  close  up '  was  then  floated  from  the 
flagship  Olympia,  and,  in  unison,  bugle  and  drum  called  to  '  general  quarters ' 
and  the  glorious  Stars  and  Stripes  waved  out  from  every  masthead  and  gaff 
of  the  six  ships  of  the  squadron  as  the  Olympia  headed  for  their  line  of 
battle.  Our  formation  was  in  column,  four  hundred  yards  apart,  with  a 
slackened  speed  of  six  knots. 

"  The  fullness  of  the  day  revealed  the  Spanish  fleet  of  nine  vessels,  the 
Reina  Christina,  flagship ;  the  Castilla,  Don  Antonio  d'Ulloa,  Isla  de  Cuba, 
Isla  de  Luzon  and  four  small  gunboats.  The  Spanish  mail  steamer  Mindanac 
was  also  in  line,  having  been  hastily  fitted  with  guns.  Each  end  of  their  line 
was  protected  by  batteries  of  six  and  eight-inch  guns  on*  the  peninsula  of 
Cavite.  The  Castilla  was  moored  head  and  stern,  and  the  other  ships  had 
steam  up  in  order  to  be  able  to  retreat  behind  the  mole  and  batteries  of  Cavite 
to  repair  accidents  and  take  a  breathing  spell.  Preparations  were  thus  made 
for  carrying  on  the  conflict. 

Spaniards  Poor  Shots. 

"  The  shore  batteries  opened  on  us  long  before  we  were  in  range.  Our 
guns  were  silent  until  at  4,500  yards,  when  the  Olympia  swung  around  her 
port  broadside  and  let  drive  her  four  eight-inch  turret  guns.  The  Baltimore, 
Raleigh,  Petrel,  Concord  and  Boston,  in  succession,  followed  the  flagship  and 
opened  fire  as  soon  as  their  guns  would  bear  on  the  enemy. 

"  The  engagement  was  general  as  the  Americans  swept  down  parallel  to 
the  Spanish  line,  but  was  fought  at  long  range,  owing  to  our  ships  being  kept 
away  from  the  enemy  by  shallow  water.  The  modern  high  power  guns  and 
excellent  gunnery  of  the  Americans  soon  showed  its  effects,  while  the  Span- 
iard's shots  either  fell  far  short  or  flew  wholly  over  our  heads  without  doing 
any  damage. 

"  The  end  of  their  line  being  reached,  we  turned,  shifted  our  batteries 
and  stood  down  the  line  until  we  were  at  from  3,000  to  2,500  yards.  It  is 
hardly  conceivable  with  what  rapidity  and  accuracy  our  guns  were  fired.  The 
sides  of  the  Raleigh,  which  has  a  battery  of  ten  five-inch  rapid-fire  guns,  were  a 
continuous  sheet  of  flame,  and  the  eight-inch  guns  of  the  Olympia,  Boston  and 
Baltimore  hurled  an  unbroken  stream  of  25O-pound  shell  at  the  doomed  ships 
of  the  enemy.  Five  Jimes  the  Commodore  led  the  fleet  up  and  down  the 


DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF   MANILA.  143 

Spanish  line,  after  which  we  hauled  out  to  breakfast,  but  not  before  we  rea- 
lized that  the  victory  was  ours. 

"  The  Castilla  was  riddled  and  burning.  A  shell  through  the  steam  pipe 
of  the  Reina  Christina  showed  she  was  in  trouble.  Two  hours  later  she  burst 
into  flames  and  both  ships  were  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  The  other 
Spanish  craft  had  been  handled  so  severely  that  they  had  retired  behind  the 
mole  of  the  navy  yard.  The  Mindanoa  was  beached. 

"  One  torpedo  boat,  early  in  the  fight,  tried  to  slip  out  and  attack  our 
reserve  squadron,  composed  of  the  McCulloch  and  the  transports  Nanshan 
and  Zafiro, which  we  had  left  out  of  range  of  the  action.  She  had  hardly 
made  clear  her  purpose  before  the  small  rapid-fire  guns  of  all  our  ships  were 
concentrated  on  her.  and  she  was  fairly  blown  out  of  the  water  onto  the 
beach 

Stopped  to  Eat  Breakfast 

"  At  7:30,  the  Commodore  made  signal  to  retire,  in  order  to  give  the 
crews  a  rest  and  breakfast.  They  had  been  standing  by  their  guns  all  night, 
and  had  been  fighting  them  for  three  hours.  The  rest  was  welcomed  by  all. 
After  breakfast  and  the  council  of  war,  it  was  decided  to  attack  and  destroy 
the  shore  batteries  at  Cavite.  On  signal,  the  Baltimore  led  the  way,  ran 
up  to  within  two  thousand  yards,  received  their  concentrated  fire,  and 
literally  smothered  them  with  shell.  The  other  ships  quickly  took  their 
places,  and  within  the  brief  space  of  thirty  minutes  not  another  shot  was  fired 
from  the  shore. 

"  The  Don  Antonio  d'Ulloa  still  floated  the  flag  of  Spain  and  fired  a  few 
shots.  Her  decks  were  swept  of  every  living  soul,  and  she  sank  riddled  with 
shell.  The  work  of  the  big  ships  was  over.  The  Raleigh,  Concord,  and 
Petrel  were  then  ordered  inside  to  "  destroy  shipping."  But  the  draft  of  the 
Raleigh,  twenty  feet,  was  too  great  to  allow  her  to  get  over  the  shoal  water, 
and  after  getting  aground  twice  the  attempt  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  Con- 
cord ran  over  and  found  the  Mindanoa,  while  the  Petrel  went  up  to  the  navy 
yard.  The  enemy,  however,  had  anticipated  them,  and  all  the  gunboats  were 
on  fire  or  scuttled.  The  arsenal  was  in  ruins  from  the  shelling. 

"At  1:30  the  Spanish  flag  was  hauled  down,  and  the  Petrel  signalled: 
'"  The  enemy  has  surrendered." 

"  A  mighty  cheer  went  up  from  all  the  ships.  A  most  extraordinary 
victory  was  ours — not  one  man  did  we  lose,  and  there  were  only  six  men 
slightly  wounded,  on  the  Baltimore,  while  from  last  accounts  the  Spaniards 
lost  between  900  and  1 100  men  killed  and  wounded. 

"  The  Spanish  Commodore  was  wounded,  and  the  captain,  a  lieutenant, 
the  chaplain,  and  a  midshipman  were  killed  by  a  shell  striking  the  bridge  of 


i44  DEWEY'S  MEN  TELL  OF  MANILA. 

the  Reina  Christina. — She  lost  beside  80  men  killed,  and  had  60  men 
wounded.  The  Castilla  lost  1 10  men  killed  and  wounded.  The  shore  bat- 
teries suffered  badly.  Had  we  been  able  to  engage  their  ships  and  batteries 
at  short  range,  the  battle  would  have  been  more  quickly  over;  but  our  loss 
of  life  would  in  all  probability  have  been  considerable. 

"  On  the  Lunetta  in  front  of  Manila  is  a  battery  of  ten-inch  Krupp  guns.f.. 
These  guns  opened  on  the  fleet  as  it  passed  in  the  early  morning,  and  by  so 
doing  exposed  the  city  to  a  merciless  bombardment,  which  but  for  the  human- 
ity of  our  commander  might  have  put  to  death  thousands  of  inhabitants,  and 
laid  the  city  in  ruins. 

"  Even  after  the  first  part  of  the  battle  was  over  the  battery  kept  firing. 
But  after  the  final  destruction  of  the  naval  station  and  the  silencing  of  the 
Spanish  ships  off  the  city,  a  white  flag  was  hoisted  over  this  battery,  and  not 
a  gun  was  thereafter  fired. 

Dismantled  the  Ports. 

"  During  Monday,  May  2d,  the  Raleigh  and  Baltimore  were  sent  down 
to  demand  the  surrender  or  to  destroy  the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay. 
Arrived  off  the  principal  fort  and  headquarters  on  Corregidor  Island,  a  flag 
of  truce  was  sent  in  and  the  surrender  of  the  Spaniards  was  demanded, 
whereupon  the  Governor  and  the  colonel  commanding  the  forces  came  on 
board  and  arranged  the  terms  with  Captain  Coghlan,  of  the  Raleigh.  We 
have  since  dismantled  their  guns,  destroyed  their  ammunition  and  put  all  the 
Spaniards  on  parole  not  to  bear  arms  against  the  United  States  during  this 
war,  or  to  attempt  to  fire  a  shot  at  our  ships  entering  or  leaving  the  bay." 

One  of  the  arrivals  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia  recently,  and  one  which 
was  of  more  than  passing  interest  to  the  American  people  at  large,  was  the 
fine  British  ship  Dalcairne,  direct  from  Manila.  She  was  on  the  scene  of  the 
great  naval  battle  which  resulted  in  Dewey's  annihilation  of  the  Spanish  fleet 
under  Admiral  Montojo.  She  dropped  anchor  at  Girard  Point  one  hundred 
and  forty-one  days  from  the  harbor  of  Cavite,  landing  a  cargo  of  10,998  bales 
of  hemp. 

The  Dalcairne  was  the  first  vessel  to  arrive  at  Philadelphia  bearing  eye- 
witnesses of  the  thrilling  scenes  of  May  1st,  and  only  the  second  one  which 
up  to  this  time  had  reached  the  United  States.  She  had  on  board  a  most 
interesting  collection  of  souvenirs  of  the  battle.  In  her  hold  were  securely 
packed  away  two  guns  of  historic  interest.  One  from  the  cruiser  Baltimore, 
presented  by  Admiral  Dewey  to  the  Monumental  City  to  commemorate  the 
deeds  done  by  its  namesake,  and  the  other  from  the  ill-fated  Reina  Castilla, 
which  is  the  property  of  the  Naw  Department  at  Washington. 


DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF  MANILA.  145 

Besides  these  invaluable  mementos  of  the  engagement  Captain  Jones  was 
the  possessor  of  relics  and  trinkets  galore  from  the  abandoned  hulks  of  the 
defeated  Dons.  While  in  harbor  at  Manila  the  Dalcairne  was  visited  by 
Admiral  Dewey,  who  presented  several  gifts  to  the  captain.  The  guns  were 
secured  at  Cavite  from  Consul-General  Williams.  Captain  Jones  would  have 
secured  many  more  articles  had  it  not  been  for  the  depredations  committed 
by  the  crew  of  a  Nova  Scotian  bark  in  the  vicinity,  who  quickly  and  sum- 
marily looted  the  shattered  vessels  of  all  portable  articles  with  the  skill  of 
accomplished  wreckers. 

On  the  morning  of  the  naval  battle,  about  2  o'clock,  all  were  sleeping  on 
the  Dalcairne  except  the  watch  and  the  steward,  who  notified  Captain  Jones 
in  his  berth  of  the  approach  of  the  American  squadron.  Very  little  time  was 
consumed  by  the  ship's  company  in  tumbling  out  of  their  hammocks  and 
berths. 

The  position  of  the  Dalcairne  was  a  perilous  one,  being  directly  in  the 
line  of  fire  of  the  Spanish  ships.  Their  guns,  apparently  elevated  too  high, 
however,  hurled  their  destructive  missiles  slightly  above  the  Britisher,  and 
she  was  consequently  struck  only  once  by  a  shell,  which  tore  away  a  portion 
of  her  top  hamper.  Still,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  the  American  ships 
manoeuvred  so  constantly,  Captain  Jones  thinks  that  his  vessel  must  have  sus- 
tained serious  damage.  The  smoke  hung  so  heavily  that  it  was  difficult  to 
see  anything  of  the  engagement  after  it  was  well  on,  but  the  crew  saw  one 
thing  distinctly,  and  that  was  the  heroic  work  of  Admiral  Montojo  in  trans- 
ferring his  flag  to  another  vessel  under  a  rain  of  death-dealing  projectiles. 
They  could  but  admire  his  bravery. 

A  Peat  of  Superb  Courage. 

"  How  that  little  boat  escaped  utter  destruction,"  said  Captain  Jones,  "  is 
a  mystery.  Every  man  on  her  was  a  hero,  but  the  Spanish  admiral  dis- 
counted for  coolness  anything  that  has  ever  come  under  my  observation. 
During  that  perilous  passage  of  a  mile  or  more  he  stood  upright  in  the  stern 
perfectly  unmoved,  although  splashes  of  water  flew  repeatedly  over  the  little 
craft  from  the  fragments  of  shell  and  larger  shot  which  exploded  frequently 
within  a  few  yards  of  her.  We  all  held  our  breath  until  Montojo  was  safe  out' 
of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire,  as  the  saying  is,  and  we  all  devoutly  hoped  he 
would  cross  that  expanse  of  water  in  safety.  It  was  an  example  of  unpar- 
alleled heroism." 

Admiral  Dewey  is  one  of  those  prudent  men  who  never  like  to  go  into 
battle  unprepared.  Before  entering  the  harbor  of  Manila,  he  had  every  part 
of  his  fleet  in  fighting  order,  as  he  stated  in  a  letter  from  Hong  Kong. — Mr. 
Charles  Dewey,  brother  of  the  Admiral,  celebrated  his  fiftieth  wedding  anni- 


146  DEWEY'S   MEN   TELL   OF   MANILA. 

vcrsary  two  days  after  the  Battle  of  Manila.  On  the  evening  of  the  cele- 
bration he  received  a  letter  from  the  admiral.  It  was  postmarked  Hong 
Kong,  and  had  been  written  before  the  declaration  of  war.  It  was  the  last 
bit  of  correspondence  that  passed  between  the  hero  of  Manila  and  bis  relatives 
in  this  country  before  the  battle.  After  treating  of  private  matters  the  Admiral 
went  on  to  say  that  he  had  not  had  a  good  night's  sleep  for  nearly  thirty  days, 
All  the  time  had  been  spent  in  preparing  his  fleet  for  action.  Word  was 
expected  at  any  minute  to  move  on  Manila,  and  he  expressed  confidence 
that  he  would  have  the  city  at  his  mercy  within  twenty-four  hours.  This 
letter,  written  before  the  battle,  was  no  vain  boast,  as  the  result  showed. 

Celebrating  Dewey's  Victory. 

The  people  of  Montpelier,  Vt. ,  hailed  his  victory  with  demonstrations  of 
rejoicing.  When  a  press  correspondent  called  on  his  sister,  Mrs.  Greely,  he 
found  her  writing  to  her  beloved  brother.  On  the  table  and  on  the  wall  were 
pictures  of  him. 

"  I  am  just  writing  to  my  dear  brother,"  said  she,  "  and  telling  him  of  the 
magnificent  manner  in  which  his  native  town  celebrated  his  victory.  I  know 
he  will  be  greatly  pleased  to  hear  about  it.  These  are  the  proudest  days  of 
my  life !  "  and  her  eyes  welled  with  tears. 

All  accounts  show  that  in  his  early  life  Dewey  was  full  of  energy,  fond  of 
fun,  was  not  averse  to  playing  tricks,  had  a  strong  will,  and  gave  promise  of 
one  day  becoming  a  rugged  personality  who  would  not  be  afraid  to  wage 
relentless  warfare  upon  any  obstacle  that  stood  in  his  way.  His  grand 
achievement  at  Manila  was  what  might  have  been  expected  from  a  man  of 
his  sterling  qualities.  One  of  the  qualifications  of  a  great  commander  is  the 
ability  to  gain  the  confidence  of  his  men  and  inspire  them  with  his  own 
courage.  In  this  respect  Dewey  is  pre-eminent,  as  is  shown  by  his  success. 

Admiral  Dewey  christened  the  cruiser  Baltimore  "  The  Tiger."  So  says 
Chief- Engineer  John  D.  Ford,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife,  who  lives  in  the  Maryland 
metropolis.  Mr.  Ford  thus  tells  of  some  narrow  escapes  during  the  battle : 

"A  5.2-inch  armor-piercing  shell  entered  the  hammock  netting,  just  abaft 
the  starboard  after  6-inch  gun  sponson.  This  space  was  stowed  full  of  brass 
canopies,  rails,  etc.,  so  that  it  made  a  great  racket.  Lieutenant  Kellogg  was 
just  coming  up  the  starboard  hatch  to  see  if  the  three-pounder  Hotchkiss  gun 
mounted  on  the  rail  there  had  plenty  of  ammunition.  The  shell  struck  two 
of  the  three-pounder  shells  that  were  on  the  deck  besides  the  gun,  exploding 
them.  Kellogg  ducked,  as  a  man  will  involuntarily;  one  piece  ripped  his  coat 
right  down  the  back  without  leaving  a  scar  on  him,  and  another  cut  his  shin. 


DEWEY'S   MEN  TELL  OF   MANILA.  147 

"  Ensign  Irwin  was  standing  on  a  grating  of  this  hatch,  fighting  his  guns, 
between  two  of  the  gratings  that  were  knocked  down,  but  was  uninjured.  The 
shell  struck  the  recoil  cylinder  of  the  port  after  six-inch  gun,  putting  that  gun 
out  of  commission  for  the  rest  of  that  day,  glanced  and  struck  the  shield, 
glanced  down  and  struck  the  gun  carriage,  glanced  up  again  against  the  inside 
of  the  shield,  traversed  inside  of  it  circumferentially,  hit  a  ventilator,  and  finally 
an  iron  ladder  on  the  starboard  side  again,  where  its  force  was  expended  and 
it  dropped  to  the  deck  without  exploding.  The  most  of  our  wounded  were 
injured  by  this  shot. 

"  Earlier  Ensign  Irwin  was  standing  on  the  engine-room  hatch  fighting 
his  guns,  when  a  shot  skimmed  his  head  so  close  that  he  took  ofThis  cap  to 
see  if  it  was  cut.  While  he  was  holding  it  in  his  hand  looking  at  it  another 
shot  struck  it,  carrying  it  out  of  his  hand  overboard. 

"  One  man  worked  at  his  gun  for  an  hour  with  a  broken  leg,  not  know- 
ing it  was  broken.  Doesn't  it  seem  almost  miraculous  that  there  should  have 
been  so  many  narrow  escapes  without  a  person  in  the  fleet  being  killed  and 
with  so  few  wounded  ?  " 


CHAPTER   IX. 

The  Spanish  Flag  Struck  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

HE  fate  of  Manila  lay  in  Admiral  Dewey's  hands  from  that  May 
day,  when  the  destruction  of  Admiral  Montojo's  fleet  had  so 
brilliantly  inaugurated  our  war  with  Spain.  He  waited,  however, 
for  reinforcements,  in  command  of  Major  General  Wesley  Mer 
ritt.  It  would  have  been  easy  for  him  to  reduce  Manila  to  ashes,  and  shell 
its  defenseless  citizens;  much  easier  still  would  it  have  been  subsequently 
for  the  insurgents  to  indulge  in  barbarous  retaliations  on  their  helpless  ene- 
mies and  give  way  to  excesses  which,  with't*'  '  limited  force  at  his  disposal, 
he  would  have  been  utterly  unable  to  quell,  and  for  which,  none  the  less,  he 
would  have  been  held  responsible  by  the  European  powers  whose  local  in- 
terests were  at  stake. 

The  first  expedition  under  Brigadier-General  Greene,  reached  the 
Philippines  on  June  3Oth,  after  taking  possession,  on  its  way,  of  the  Ladrones, 
a  group  of  some  20  islands  with  an  estimated  population  of  10,000,  lying  1200 
miles  east  of  the  Philippines.  A  second  instalment  arrived  on  July  lyth,  and 
a  third  under  General  McArthur  on  the  3ist,  General  Greene  having  mean- 
while taken  up  a  position  within  rifle  range  of  Malate,  a  suburb  of  Manila, 
and  called  it  "  Camp  Dewey,"  a  name  to  conjure  with. 

The  arrival  of  the  third  expedition  filled  the  Spaniards  with  rage,  and 
they  determined  to  give  battle  before  Camp  Dewey  could  be  reinforced.  The 
trench  extended  from  the  beach,  three  hundred  yards  to  the  left  flank  of  the 
insurgents. 

Sunday  being  the  insurgents'  feast  day  and  their  left  flank  having  been 
withdrawn  the  American  right  flank  was  left  exposed.  Here  <vas  an  oppor- 
tunity not  to  be  despised.  Companies  A  and  E,  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania, 
and  Utah  Battery  were  ordered  to  reinforce  the  right  flank. 

In  the  midst  of  a  raging  typhoon,  with  a  tremendous  downpour  of  rain, 
the  enemy's  force,  estimated  at  3000  men,  attempted  to  surprise  the  camp. 
Our  pickets  were  driven  in  and  the  trenches  assaulted. 

The  fight  in  the  trenches  south  of  Malate,  on  the  night  of  Sunday,  July 
3 1st,  which  cost  the  Pennsylvania  troops  so  dearly,  began  by  the  usual  eve- 
ning firing  by  the  Spaniards,  and  continued  against  the  Americans  just  as  it 
had  been  kept  up  against  the  insurgents,  when  only  Filipinos  occupied  the 
trenches.  The  Americans,  regardless  of  personal  danger,  replied,  as  they 
148 


THE   FIGHT   AT   MALATE.  1-19 

always  did,  standing  up  and  exposing  themselves  fearlessly  so  as  to  make 
their  fire  more  effective.  The  Spaniards  shot  more  accurately  than  usual, 
and  the  Americans  suffered  largely  from  the  sharpshooters. 

The  most  dangerous  place  was  the  open  ground  just  behind  the  trenches, 
which  our  reinforcements  crossed  fearlessly,  and  it  was  there,  where  much 
of  our  loss  occurred.  The  enemy  suffered  severely,  although  the  Spaniards 
themselves  did  not  know  how  many  they  lost.  One  man  said  he  saw  five 
carloads  of  dead  soldiers  hauled  into  Ermita. 

The  battle  was  precipitated  apparently  by  the  eager  desire  of  the  Penn- 
sylvanians  to  get  into  action.  When  the  men  kept  in  the  trenches  the  Spanish 
fire  was  harmless  and  merited  no  reply.  The  First  Colorado  men,  who  began 
the  trench  and  the  First  Nebraska  troops,  who  finished  it,  worked  steadily  at 
throwing  up  the  parapet  during  the  day  and  night,  and  suffered  no  loss. 
There  was  desultory  firing  at  them,  but  it  was  wild,  and  they  made  no  re- 
sponse. They  paid  no  attention  to  the  enemy  and  went  on  with  their  work. 

"  The  day  after  the  fight,''  an  officer  who  took  part  in  the  battle,  writes 
a  few  days  after  the  engagement,  "  I  went  over  to  Camp  Dewey  from  Cavite, 
and  spent  that  night  in  the  trench  with  the  First  Colorado,  Utah  Batteries, 
and  Third  Battalion,  First  California.  The  Spaniards  keep  up  a  terrible  fire 
nearly  all  night.  For  a  few  minutes  after  it  began  the  Utah  boys  kept  up  a 
lively  fire  with  their  3  inch  guns,  and  the  Colorado  boys  showed  the  Span- 
iards a  trick  in  volley  firing.  Then  our  fire  ceased,  and  thereafter  from  the 
main  trench  not  a  shot  was  fired  all  night. 

"  Not  a  man  was  hurt  after  our  firing  stopped.  They  sat  behind  their 
parapet  and  let  the  Spaniards  blaze  away.  Bullets  and  shells  flew  over  our 
heads  in  whistling  chorus  until  daylight,  and  then  there  was  a  tremendous 
outburst.  Colonel  Hale,  however,  kept  his  men  down,  and  after  a  while  the 
Spaniards  got  tired  and  ceased  firing. 

Our  First  Advance. 

"  It  was  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  July  2Qth,  that  our  men  first  went 
forward  to  the  trenches.  From  the  time,  about  the  middle  of  July,  when  the 
first  battalion  of  California  men  located  the  camp  at  Tambo,  which  General 
Anderson  afterward  named  Camp  Dewey,  outposts  had  been  stationed  regu- 
larly somewhere  near  the  insurgent  line.  When  the  Colorado  men  were  sent 
to  camp  with  the  other  battalions  of  the  First  California  they  sent  outposts 
out  also  and  got  into  the  trouble  of  which  you  have  been  told.  Finally,  when 
the  camp  grew  to  its  present  size  and  there  was  prospect  that  it  would  grow 
«tih  larger,  it  became  undesirable  to  have  the  insurgents  in  our  front.  There 
was  no  telling  when  the  Spaniards  might  make  a  rush  and  drive  them  back, 


150  THE   FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

as  they  were  reported  to  have  done  that  night  the  Colorado  men  turned  out 
the  whole  camp. 

"  So  General  Greene  sent  to  Aguinaldo,  in  General  Merritt's  name*  and 
asked  to  have  the  insurgents  restrained  from  stirring  up  the  Spaniards  every 
night.  The  high  firing  sometimes  dropped  shells  and  bullets  among  our  out- 
posts, and  it  wasn't  a  good  thing  anyway  to  have  another  force  between  us 
and  our  enemy.  So  the  insurgents  were  withdrawn  from  their  outposts  all 
along  our  front,  clear  over  to  Pasai,  as  the  maps  have  it,  or  Pineda,  as  the' 
people  call  it,  and  on  Friday  our  troops  were  sent  forward  to  take  their  place. 

"  It  was  the  lot  of  the  Colorado  men  first  to  take  position  directly  in  front 
of  the  enemy.  Two  battalions  went  forward  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  McAvoy 
and  the  third  battalion  was  held  in  reserve.  Colonel  McAvoy  saw  at  once 
that  the  old  insurgent  trench  was  untenable.  It  was  in  a  bad  place,  easily 
flanked,  and  there  was  good  cover  in  front  of  it.  Beyond  the  right  end  there 
was  thickly  wooded  country,  through  which  the  enemy  could  make  an 
advance  with  good  chance  of  escaping  observation.  Colonel  McAvoy  decided 
to  advance  the  line  to  the  old  Capuchin  Chapel,  which  stood  in  the  middle  of 
the  field  in  front  of  the  old  insurgent  trench.  He  looked  over  the  ground 
with  his  engineers  and  then  laid  out  the  line  of  the  intrenchment. 

Digging  Under  Fire. 

"It  was  I  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  men  went  to  work  on  the 
ditch.  It  had  been  raining  pretty  steadily  for  a  week,  and  there  were  heavy 
squalls  at  frequent  intervals  that  afternoon,  but  most  of  the  time  the  Spaniards 
had  an  entirely  unobstructed  view  of  the  Americans  and  what  they  were  doing. 
They  took  note  of  it  occasionally  in  a  disinterested  sort  of  way  by  sending  a 
Mauser  bullet  down  now  and  then  to  investigate.  The  messengers  were 
almost  all  very  high  and  no  damage  was  done  to  our  men,  who  kept  at  workj 
undisturbed  by  the  desultory  shooting.  The  Colorado  boys  had  the  making 
of  a  good  breastwork  done  when  they  were  relieved  in  the  morning  by  the 
First  Nebraska  regiment. 

"  The  ditch,  trench,  outwork,  or  whatever  you  might  call  it,  was  simply  a 
lot  of  dirt  piled  up  in  a  line  that  ran  at  right  angles  to  the  beach  and  the  main 
road  to  Manila — Camina  Real— and  extended  across  the  250  yards,  more  or 
less,  between  them.  It  crossed  fairly  open  country,  on  ground  that  is  reason- 
ably called  high  for  that  locality.  It  is  level  and  perhaps  six  feet  above  the, 
sea,  highest  just  at  the  beach  line.  A  line  of  bamboos  fringe  the  east  side  of' 
the  Camina  Real  and  a  similar  line  runs  all  along  the  edge  of  the  beach. 

"  The  Nebraska  boys  kept  up  their  work  on  the  breastwork  all  day  Satur- 
day, and  the  Spaniards  paid  them  no  more  attention  than  they  had  paid  to  the 


THE    FIGHT   AT    MALATE.  lol 

Colorado  boys  the  day  before.  The  Nebraska  men  worked  on  both  sides  of  the 
:>arapet,  making  two  ditches,  the  dirt  from  both  of  which  they  heaped  on  the 
long  pile  that  gradually  rose  to  a  height  of  nearly  seven  feet  all  along  the  line. 
Behind  the  parapet  the  ditch  was  made  wide  but  shallow,  so  that  water  would" 
not  stand  in  it.  Vain  hope  !  Water  will  stand  in  a  boot  track  anywhere  on 
that  field  after  such  rains  as  we  are  having  now. 

The  Old  Capuchin  Chapel. 

"About  seventy. yards  west  of  the  road  stands  the  ruin  of  an  old  Capuchin 
chapeL  It  was  in  good  condition  when  this  rebellion  began,  but  many  bullets 
and  shells  have  wrecked  it  almost  completely.  In  the  centre  of  it  north  and 
south  a  wide  hall  runs  through  from  east  to  west.  On  the  east  the  tiench 
began  just  north  of  the  big  double  door  that  opened  into  this  hall  and  ran 
straight  to  the  road.  On  the  west,  on  the  sea  side,  the  trench  joined  the 
chapel  at  the  north  corner.  Earth  was  piled  against  the  north  end  of  the 
chapel  to  the  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  up  to  the  level  of  the  two  iron- 
barred  windows. 

"At  the  beach  the  parapet  jumps  forward  about  five  yards  and  then 
swings  across  the  eight  or  ten  yards  of  beach  to  the  wreck  of  an  old  caisson, 
such  as  the  Spaniards  used  in  Cavite  to  fill  with  rocks  and  put  in  front  of  their 
ships  as  improvised  armor.  At  the  base  of  the  inside  of  the  parapet  there  is 
a  solid  shoulder  projecting  out  about  two  feet  all  along  the  line  for  the  men 
to  stand  on  when  they  rise  up  to  fire  over  the  earthwork.  Along  the  top  of 
the  parapet  there  are  notches  and  peepholes  for  the  lookouts. 

"  On  Saturday,  July  3Oth,  the  work  was  far  enough  advanced  to  place 
some  artillery  in  position,  and  light  batteries  A  and  B  of  the  Utah  Battalion 
sent  forward  two  guns,  each  with  eight  men  to  a  gun,  under  command  of  their 
lieutenants.  The  guns  of  Battery  A  were  placed  on  the  right  of  the  chapel, 
about  equidistant  from  it  and  the  road.  Battery  B's  guns  were  placed  at  the 
left  of  the  chapel,  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  line  of  bamboos  that  fringes 
the  beach. 

"  The  Spaniards  kept  whacking  away  at  our  boys  occasionally  on  Sat- 
urday, but  did  no  damage  whatever  at  the  trench.  Further  down  the  road, 
however,  at  the  barricade  where  the  footpath  crosses  the  road  north  of  the 
Pasai  road,  they  drew  the  first  American  blood  that  was  let  in  the  conquest 
of  the  Philippine  Islands.  Private  W.  H.  Sterling  of  Company  K,  First  Col- 
orado, was  the  man  hit.  His  regiment  had  been  relieved  by  the  Nebraska  i 
boys  at  10  o'clock  and  was  returning  to  camp.  As  he  was  marching  along  a 
bullet  that  had  been  fired  high  came  down  the  road  and  took  him  in  the  muscle 
ui  the  upper  part  of  the  left  arm.  It  stung  and  it  bled,  but  it  didn't  hurt  very 


152  THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

much  and  did  no  serious  damage.     Sterling  will  soon  be  about  his  work  again 
as  if  he  never  had  been  hit  by  a  Spanish  bullet. 

"  Saturday  afternoon  the  report  came  over  to  Cavite  that  the  Astor  bat- 
tery  had  been  moved  up  into  the  trenches,  but  it  was  a  mistake.  The  Astoi 
battery  had  no  ammunition.  When  the  Astors  were  landed  from  the  Newport 
there  was  a  nasty  surf  running  and  their  cascos  could  not  get  in  to  the  beach. 
They  waded  ashore  and  dragged  their  guns  through  the  surf.  Their  ammu* 
nition  was  soaked.  It  had  been  bought  as  waterproof,  but  Captain  March 
took  no  chances  and  examined  one  of  the  big  brass  shells.  He  found  that  the 
water  had  got  into  it  and  turned  the  powder  to  mush.  So  he  had  the  whole 
lot  examined  and  found  nearly  all  spoiled.  The  bad  powder  was  taken  out 
and  thrown  away  and  the  Astors  are  now  reloading  their  shells  with  powder 
given  them  by  Admiral  Dewey. 

Spanish  Fire  Gets  Lively  * 

"On  Saturday  night  the  Spaniards  put  a  little  more  spirit  into  thefr 
work,  and  peppered  away  in  lively  fashion.  The  breastwork  was  nearly  fin- 
ished, and  the  Nebraska  boys  took  no  chances  by  trying  to  go  on  with  their 
work  at  it.  Colonel  Breitt  had  them  all  inside  the  parapet.  They  kept  as 
sharp  a  lookout  as  was  possible  in  the  nasty  night,  and  for  the  rest  sat  tight, 
making  no  reply  to  the  Spanish  fire.  The  result  was  that  no  one  was  hurt. 
They  had  thrown  pickets  out  to  their  right,  across  the  road  beyond  the  line 
of  intrenchment.  There  was  no  effort  to  flank  them,  and  the  pickets  had  no 
work  to  do.  The  Utah  artillerymen  tore  up  part  of  the  floor  of  the  old  chapel 
and  built  platforms  for  their  guns  to  keep  them  out  of  the  mud  and  water  as 
much  as  possible,  and  to  make  a  comparatively  easy  place  for  landing  them. 

"  The  embrasures  were  strengthened  and  closed  up  as  much  as  possible, 
and  when  that  was  done  the  rest  of  the  lumber  was  turned  into  shacks  beside 
the  guns,  into  which  the  young  artillerymen  from  Utah  crawled  and  went  to 
sleep,  sheltered  from  the  rain,  and  as  little  concerned  about  the  Spanish  bullets 
as  they  were  about  the  water,  which  fell  in  torrents  from  the  unfriendly  skies 
upon  the  Nebraska  infantrymen. 

"On  Sunday  morning,  July  3 1st,  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  relieved  the 
First  Nebraska  in  the  trench,  and  a  new  detachment  of  Utah  men  went  up  tc 
man  the  four  guns  of  their  batteries.  The  men  worked  along  that  day  com- 
pleting the  parapet  and  strengthening  it,  and  were  undisturbed  by  the  Span- 
iards, who  were  hardly  wide  enough  awake  to  keep  up  the  desultory  fire  with 
which  they  had  tried  to  annoy  the  Colorado  and  Nebraska  men  on  the  two 
previous  days. 

"The  Spanish  trench  is  about  750  yards  from  that  occupied  by  the 


THE    FIGHT   AT   MALATE.  153 

Americans.     It  begins  at  the  beach  south  of  the  Polvorm,  outside  the  old 

fort  at  Malate,  and  runs  northeast  until  it  clears  the  fort,  then  it  turns  to  the 

east  and  runs  in  a  straight  line  well  out  beyond  the  Camina  Real.     It  is  9 

solid-looking  fortification,  with  plenty  of  rocks  in  the  parapet,  and  topped 

with  sandbags.    In  front  of  it,  to  the  south,  a  small  creek  wriggles  about  over 

the  low,  swampy  field.     A   road  which  leads  from  the  fort  to  the  Camina 

4  Real  crosses  this  creek  by  a  stone  bridge,  which  has  been  piled  high  with 

•  sandbags. 

"About  150  yards  in  front  of  our  trench  a  little  strip  of  tall  grass  runs 
across  the  open  field  from  the  beach  to  the  road.  Further  north  about  150 
yards  runs  the  trench  the  Spanish  occupied  at  first,  but  from  which  they 
retreated  a  couple  of  weeks  ago  when  the  insurgents  got  their  battery  of  old 
smoothbores  at  work  down  the  road  a  little  way.  The  country  between  the 
two  trenches  is  low  and  level.  About  the  Camina  Real  the  field,  which  is 
fairly  open  nearer  the  beach,  is  full  of  bunches  of  scrub,  here  and  there  a 
banana  growing  wild,  a  clump  of  acacias  or  a  bunch  of  bamboos.  It's  just 
the  kind  of  country  for  men  who  are  game  enough  to  sneak  up  on  their 
enemy  and  try  to  pot  him  when  he  doesn't  suspect  any  danger. 

"  East  of  the  Camina  Real,  behind  our  position,  the  country  is  low  and 
swampy,  with  a  few  paddy  fields,  and  much  bamboo  and  banana  scrub.  In 
front  and  to  the  right  of  our  position  the  field  is  fairly  open,  but  there  is  con- 
siderable scrub.  There  the  ground  is  higher.  Ultimately  our  work  will 
extend  across  this  field.  Just  now  the  trench  is  little  more  than  begun. 

Spanish  Try  to  Turn  Our  Flank. 

"  Of  just  what  happened  on  Sunday  night  there  always  will  be  many 
stories.  There  are  a  great  many  going  about  now,  some  of  them  decidedly 
contradictory,  and  more  of  them  are  fulminating.  The  one  which  has  per- 
haps more  supporters  than  any  other,  and  enjoys  besides  the  merit,  or  at  least 
the  fact,  of  having  been  accepted  by  General  Greene  and  published  in  General 
Orders,  is  that  the  Spaniards  attempted  to  flank  our  line.  That  may  be  true. 
It  has  one  fact  in  its  support  and  there  are  two  against  it. 

"  The  one  fact  in  confirmation  is  that  in  the  fight  which  occurred  our 
men  going  up  as  reinforcements  were  subjected  to  a  cross  fire.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  some  Spaniards  had  left  their  trench  and  crawled  out  into  the  scrub 
in  front  and  to  the  right  of  our  right  line,  then  resting  in  the  Camina  Real  at 
the  end  of  the  trench.  The  pickets  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  were  driven 
in.  They  had  been  posted  for  the  most  part  directly  in  front  of  their  regiment, 
but  some  of  them  were  east  of  the  road  and  ahead  of  the  line. 

"  The  two  facts  against  this  theory  are,  first,  that  the  fire  of  the  Spaniards 


154  THE    FIGHT   AT   MALATE. 

was  very  heavy  and  that  most  of  it  was  by  volley,  which  it  could  not  have 
been  from  men  scattered  about  in  the  scrub  brush  and  grass ;  second,  that  the 
outposts  of  the  second  platooon  of  Battery  K,  Third  United  States  Artillery, 
were  not  driven  in  and  did  not  come  in  until  they  were  relieved  at  their  station 
on  Monday  morning.  This  platoon  of  K  Battery  was  stationed  on  the  Pasai 
road  in  reserve.  Lieutenant  Kessler  sent  forward  four  or"  five  Cossack  posts 
— four  men  and  a  non-commissioned  officer.  These  outposts  were  stationed 
to  the  right  and  ahead  of  our  line,  but  through  all  the  heavy  firing  of  the  night 
they  made  no  report.  No  Spaniards  came  their  way,  a  very  singular  fact  if 
there  was  an  effort  to  turn  our  right  flank. 

Enemy  Opens  the  Attack. 

"  It  seems  much  the  most  probable  of  all  the  stories  that  this  is  what 
happened :  The  Spaniards,  having  recovered  from  their  lethargy  of  a  few 
days,  concluded  to  stir  things  up.  They  had  not  been  stirred  up  themselves 
for  several  days.  The  insurgents  had  not  been  there  to  harass  them,  and  our 
men  had  orders  not  to  begin  an  engagement.  The  Spaniards  must  have 
known  that  the  insurgents  had  been  withdrawn  from  the  trenches  and  that  the 
Americans  were  in.  There  is  no  more  resemblance  between  our  trench  and 
the  insurgents'  affair  than  there  is  between  a  clipper  ship  and  a  coal  barge. 

"  Accordingly,  about  10  o'clock  on  Sunday  night,  the  Spanish  fire  took 
on  a  regularity  which  showed  that  there  was  definite  intention  and  purpose 
somewhere  in  the  camp.  The  bullets  began  to  whistle  about  our  fellows  in 
droves.  The  guns  at  Malate  opened  up  also,  and  their  roar,  the  shriek  of  their 
shells,  and  the  loud  cracking  report  of  bursting  shells  added  to  the  other 
general  evidence  to  the  Pennsylvanians  that  they  were  under  fire.  The 
Spanish  fire,  heavy  as  >t  was,  was  harmless  as  long  as  they  kept  down  behind 
the  earthwork,  Bur  the  Pennsylvanians  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to 
return  the  fire,  and  straightway  the  trouble  arose. 

"  It  was  a  terrible  night.  Rain  fell  incessantly  and  in  torrents.  A  fierce 
vvind  drove  it  across  the  fields  and  into  the  trench,  under  the  little  shelter  the 
men  had  thrown  up.  A  quarter  moon  struggled  to  force  a  little  light  through 
^he  heavy  clouds,  and  succeeded  only  in  making  a  ghostly  glow  through 
which  all  objects  showed  black  and  awful.  The  long  bamboos  were  tossed 
about  by  the  wind  that  roared  through  giant  acacias  and  mangoes  with  the 
rush  and  noise  of  a  Niagara. 

"  The  little  clumps  of  bamboo  and  acacia,  that  dotted  the  field  in  front  of 
our  line,  bobbed  about  in  the  gale,  and  were  beaten  down  by  the  rain  in  such 
fashion  that  they  made  the  best  kind  of  cover  for  venturesome  devils — if  there 
are  any  such  among  the  Spanish — in  crawling  out  to  attack  our  line.  The 


THE   FIGHT  AT   MALATE.  155 

ditch  behind  our  parapet  filled  up  with  thin  mud.  Little  streams  of  mud  ran 
down  the  embankment  into  this  little  lake.  The  platforms  built  by  the  Utah 
boys  for  their  guns  were  four  inches  under  mud,  and  stilt  the  rain  drove  down 
in  blinding  sheets. 

"  Soon  after  the  Spaniards  began  their  regular  and  heavy  fire  the  Penn- 
sylvania pickets  began  to  come  in.  They  had  been  posted  in  Cossack  out- 
posts almost  directly  in  front  of  our  line,  about  seventy-five  yards  distant. 
Some  of  the  posts  extended  over  to  the  right  of  our  line,  and  should  have 
been  in  touch  with  the  posts  set  by  Lieutenant  Kessler  from  Battery  K.  They 
were  not  in  touch  with  the  regulars,  however,  because  they  returned  to  the 
trench  and  reported  that  they  were  driven  in,  whereas  the  regulars  never  were 
heard  from,  and  were  relieved  next  morning  at  their  stations.  There  had  been 
heavy  firing  on  their  left  nearly  all  night,  they  reported,  and  they  had  taken 
some  part  in  replying  to  it,  but  no  enemy  had  appeared  before  them  and  they 
had  suffered  no  loss. 

Danger  on  the  Right. 

"  When  the  Pennsylvania  pickets  came  tumbling  back  into  their  trench, 
they  reported  that  the  enemy  was  in  force  on  our  right  front  and  was  trying 
to  flank  us.  That  was  serious  business.  Major  Cuthbertson  brought  K 
and  B  companies  up  the  Camina  Real  into  the  trench  at  once  and  sent  word 
to  Major  Bierer  to  come  forward  with  D  and  E  companies  and  go  in  on  our 
right  across  the  road.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  firing  of  the  Spanish 
was  maintained  at  a  terrific  rate.  The  crack  of  their  Mauser  rifles,  short, 
sharp,  spiteful,  was  like  the  long  roll  beaten  on  a  giant  bass  drum.  It  was 
punctuated  continually  with  the  bursting  of  the  shells  they  were  throwing 
from  the  fort  at  Malate. 

"  The  American  reply  was  as  vigorous.  At  the  start  the  Pennsylvania 
men  fired  by  volley  and  did  it  well.  The  roar  of  their  old  Springfields  all 
loosed  off  together  was  like  the  report  of  a  lo-inch  rifle.  It  was  almost  im- 
possible to  tell  here  in  Cavite  whether  it  was  volley  firing  or  cannonading. 
At  times  it  sounded  as  if  the  Raleigh,  which  had  taken  the  Boston's  place  off 
Camp  Dewey,  had  moved  up  opposite  Malate  and  opened  on  the  Spaniards 
with  her  8-inch  rifles.  The  artillery  men  from  Utah  were  as  cool  as  if  they 
were  bathing  in  their  favorite  salt  lake.  They  got  their  four  guns  into  action 
in  a  hurry,  and  kept  them  there  with  a  regularity  that  was  undisturbed  by 
the  terrific  assault  made  on  them  by  the  Spaniards.  Small  as  they  had  made 
the  embrasures  for  their  guns,  they  were  yet  large  enough  for  a  hailstorm  of 
Mauser  bullets  to  sweep  through. 

"  How  more  of  the  men  were  not  hit  can  never  be  explained.     The  steel- 


156  THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

cased  bullets  kept  up  a  constant  ringing  on  the  metal  of  the  cannon,  but  only 
one  struck  a  gunner,  and  he  got  off  with  a  flesh  wound  in  the  arm.  Lieu- 
tenant Gibbs,  of  Battery  A,  standing  with  his  right  hand  resting  on  the  wheei 
of  one  of  his  guns,  got  an  illustration  of  how  close  one  may  come  to  being 
hit.  A  bullet  struck  the  tire  of  the  wheel  just  inside  his  thumb  and  passed 
under  his  hand,  leaving  a  little  burned  strip  across  his  thumb  where  it  passed. 

A  Storm  of  Steel. 

"  By  this  time  it  was  a  business  fight.  The  Spanish  were  using  their 
magazines  and  firing  by  squads.  A  great  deal  of  the  fire  was  high,  some  of 
it  very  high,  but  never  before  had  any  of  our  boys  seen  the  Spanish  anywhere 
near  so  accurate,  and  some  of  the  Americans  had  been  under  their  fire  in  the 
insurgent  trenches  many  times. 

"  The  bullets  were  flying  over  their  heads  in  swarms.  They  whizzed, 
they  whistled,  they  sang  as  a  telegraph  wire  does  in  a  wind.  They  zipped, 
they  buzzed,  they  droned  like  a  bagpipe  far  away,  like  a  June  bug  seeking  a 
light  on  a  hot  night,  like  a  blue  bottle  buzzing  against  a  window  pane.  They 
beat  against  the  outside  of  our  embankment  with  a  sound  like  hailstones 
striking  soft  mud,  like  the  faint  hoofbeat  of  the  horses  going  up  the  back- 
rftretch  in  the  Suburban  as  it  comes  to  you  on  the  patrol  judge's  stand  at  the 
middle  distance.  They  rattled  against  the  old  Capuchin  chapel  and  ripped 
through  its  iron  roof  with  a  noise  such  as  children  make  with  a  stick  on  a 
picket  fence  running  along  and  drawing  the  stick  across  the  pickets,  or  like  a 
man  drumming  on  a  window  blind. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  the  cook  beating  up  eggs  on  a  platter  with  a  big 
spoon  ?  If  that  noise  were  magnified  a  thousand  times  it  would  give  a  sug- 
gestion of  the  tattoo  the  bullets  beat  on  that  old  chapel.  And  all  this  time 
there  were  the  shells.  Men  who  were  in  the  civil  war  say  the  shells  came 
through  the  air  saying  '  Where  is  you?'  '  Where  is  you  ?'  all  run  together. 
They  sound  like  the  ripping  of  silk,  and  they  give  you  the  same  feeling  down 
the  back  that  it  does  to  pull  a  string  through  your  teeth. 

"  The  shells  smashed  through  the  poor  old  chapel  and  burst  inside.  They 
burst  as  they  struck  its  heavy  brick  walls ;  they  burst  short ;  they  struck  our 
embankment  and  burst ;  they  burst  over  the  heads  of  our  men ;  they  flew 
high  and  went  down  the  fields,  bursting  sometimes  among  our  men  hurrying 
iiip  to  reinforce  the  Pennsylvanians ;  they  burst  along  the  Camino  Real ;  they 
were  almost  as  thick  as  bullets,  and  yet  strange  as  it  seems,  there  is  record 
of  only  one  man  who  was  hurt  by  a  shell,  and  he  was  not  at  all  seriously 
wounded.  He  was  Second  Lieutenant  A.  J.  Buttermore,  D  Company,  Tenth 
Pennsylvania.  A  shell  burst  just  in  front  of  and  over  him.  A  piece  of  it  hit 


THE   FIGHT  AT  MALATE.  157 

mm  over  the  left  eye  and  knocked  him  down.  It  made  an  ugly  cut,  but  that 
was  all.  He  got  up  and  went  oa  about  his  work,  too  busy  to  stop  and  hunt 
in  the  dark  for  the  piece  that  hit  him. 

"  All  this  time — it  seemed  long,  but  it  wasn't — our  fellows  were  pumping 
away  at  a  great  rate,  and  the  roar  of  our  volleys  was  warning  the  officers  and 
men  in  Camp  Dewey  that  there  was  hot  work  at  the  front.  The  Spanish  were 
giving  us  a  practical  lesson  of  the  value  of  smokeles»  powder.  Every  time 
our  guns  cracked  a  line  of  flame  ran  along  the  top  of  our  embankment.  Every 
sheet  of  flame  drew  a  fresh  hail  of  Mauser  bullets.  Every  time  a  Utah  gun 
cracked  a  Spanish  cannon  was  aimed  at  the  flash.  There  our  boys  had  as 
good  a  mark  as  the  enemy,  and  they  did  their  best.  It  was  only  guessing  at 
the  range  by  the  time  between  flash  of  gun  and  burst  of  shell,  and  there  wasn't 
a  stop  watch  on  the  line  to  give  greater  accuracy. 

"  But  they  did  good  work,  and  they  fired  as  coolly  as  if  they  were  at 
target  practice.  Their  work  was  invaluable.  Not  only  were  they  perfectly 
calm  and  in  command  of  themselves,  but  they  helped  to  steady  their  friends 
from  Pennsylvania,  who  were  beginning  to  get  excited.  Reports  began  to  go 
along  the  line  that  the  enemy  were  getting  around  the  right  flank.  The  in- 
fantrymen thought  they  could  detect  a  change  in  the  direction  of  the  bullets 
that  were  whistling  over  their  heads.  More  of  them  seemed  to  be  coming 
from  the  east,  down  our  line,  instead  of  from  the  north,  across  it. 

First  American  Killed. 

"  While  this  was  going  on  Major  Bierer  was  taking  D  and  E  Companies 
into  action  on  our  right.  To  do  this  he  had  to  cross  the  open  field  in  rear  of 
our  trench.  It  was  a  perfect  hell  he  had  to  go  through,  a  hundred  yards  of 
open  ground,  without  sign  of  protection,  swept  by  a  storm  of  Mauser  bullets 
that  came  from  left,  from  front  and  from  right,  with  shells  from  the  Spanish 
guns  bursting  among  and  around  them  all  the  time. 

"  Then  the  first  American  soldier  in  the  Philippines  fell  before  Spanish 
bullets.  He  was  Corporal  W.  E.  Brown  of  D  Company.  A  Mauser  bullet 
struck  him  through  the  body,  and  he  fell  dead  in  his  tracks.  All  about  him 
men  were  dropping  with  bullets  in  the  legs  or  arms.  Some  who  were  wounded 
kept  on  toward  the  enemy.  A  little  beyond  where  Brown  fell,  Private  William 
E.  Stillwagon  of  E  Company  got  the  bullet  that  cost  him  his  life.  Still  the 
men  went  on  with  fine  courage,  and  into  position  in  the  open  field  across  the 
road  at  the  right  of  our  line.  There  they  held  their  ground,  pumping  away 
at  the  Spaniards  as  hard  as  they  could. 

"  Now  a  perfectly  natural  thing  occurred  with  these  green  troops.  Their 
pluck  was  as  fine  as  man  could  ask.  They  were  game  to  try  to  do  anything 


158  THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

they  were  told,  but  they  had  never  been  '  shooted  over/  as  the  English  say, 
and  they  got  excited.  They  lost  the  regularity  of  their  volley  fire  and  their 
effectiveness  decreased  tremendously  in  consequence.  They  could  not  see 
their  enemy  in  the  terrible  night,  and  they  could  not  see  the  flash  of  his 
rifles.  They  could  not  locate  him  and  they  were  firing  absolutely  in  the  dark. 
With  the  roar  of  your  own  guns  in  your  ears  it  is  hard  to  judge  by  the  crack 
of  the  enemy's  Mauser  where  he  is.  It  is  difficult  to  tell  where  a  Mauser  is 
fired  when  you  have  quiet  and  daylight.  How  almost  impossible  it  is  in  the 
dark  with  battle  raging  about  you,  and  a  howling  wind  driving  a  terrific  rain 
in  eddies  and  gusts  into  your  face  and  down  your  neck ! 

Brave  Captain  O'Hara. 

"  For  an  hour  the  fight  had  been  going  on  fiercely.  The  noise  of  it  got 
out  to  the  ships  of  the  fleet,  drifting  against  the  wind,  and  the  searchlights 
began  to  wink  and  to  travel  over  toward  the  Spanish  position.  Blessed  relief 
to  our  men.  It  gave  them  now  and  then  a  glimpse  of  the  country  ahead  of 
them.  They  could  see  something  of  where  they  were  shooting,  but  still  they 
could  see  no  enemy.  Camp  Dewey  had  been  awake  a  long  time. 

"  Lying  in  his  tent,  almost  at  the  north  end  of  the  camp,  Captain  O'Hara, 
in  command  of  the  battalion  of  the  Third  Artillery,  unable  to  get  sleep,  had 
been  keeping  track  of  the  firing.  He  knew  our  men  had  but  fifty  rounds  of 
ammunition  with  them,  and  he  realized  that  at  the  rate  they  were  shooting 
that  would  soon  be  expended.  He  didn't  know  what  the  trouble  was,  but  he 
did  know  that  if  they  were  attacked  they  would  want  help  when  their  ammu- 
nition was  gone,  and  they  would  want  it  mighty  badly. 

"  Battery  K  of  his  battalion  was  in  position  as  supports ;  but  the  orders 
were  not  to  go  in  unless  the  Pennsylvanians  were  in  a  pinch.  Captain  O'Hara 
counted  the  volleys  until  the  firing  became  indiscriminate,  and  he  understood 
that  the  boys  were  getting  rattled.  He  had  no  orders,  but  he  took  a  chance^ 
and  he  took  it  just  in  time. 

"He  sounded  the  assembly.  As  the  bugle-call  rose  over  the  camp,  out  of 
their  tents  tumbled  the  men  of  battery  H,  and  into  line  they  ran,  Krag-Jor- 
gensen  rifles  in  hand  and  150  rounds  in  their  double  belts.  Down  the  camp 
below  the  Third  Artillery  another  bugler  picked  up  the  call.  The  First 
Colorado  men  heard  it  and  swarmed  out  with  their  guns.  Nebraska  followed; 
suit,  and  soon  half  the  camp  was  in  arms. 

"  Leaving  Captain  Hobbs,  in  command  of  Battery  H,  with  orders  to  be 
ready  to  advance  at  the  bugle-call,  and  to  bring  10,000  rounds  of  extra  ammu- 
nition, Captain  O'Hara,  with  his  orderly  and  his  bugler,  started  up  the  road 
toward  the  front.  A  little  beyond  the  corner  of  the  camp  he  met  an  orderly 


THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE.  159 

from  Major  Cuthbertson  coming  on  the  dead  run.  The  orderly  was  blown 
and  frightened.  He  had  run  through  a  rain  of  bullets  on  his  way  back  for 
help,  and  it  had  increased  his  excitement  and  enlarged  his  notion  of  what  had 
occurred. 

"  <  We're  whipped ! '  he  shouted  to  Captain  O'Hara.     '  We're  '— 

The  Rush,  to  the  Rescue. 

"  But  O'Hara  didn't  care  what  else  had  happened.  His  bugler  was 
already  putting  his  soul  into  the  command,  '  forward  ! '  O'  Hara  heard  the 
answer  from  Hobbs's  bugler,  and  captain,  orderly  and  .bugler  charged  up  the 
road  to  the  front  with  all  the  speed  their  legs  would  give.  The  bugles  sang 
along  the  road  in  the  steady,  reassuring  song  of  '  Forward ! '  and  the  men  of 
Battery  H,  toiling  up  through  the  dreadful  mud,  answered  with  a  cheer  and  a 
fresh  spurt. 

"  Somewhere  ahead  O'Hara  knew  Krayenbuhl  and  his  own  battery  were. 
If  they  had  not  gone  in  already  he  would  take  them.  He  met  men  coming 
to  the  rear  with  wounded,  and  some  coming  without  wounded,  straggling. 

"  '  We  are  beaten  ! '  they  shouted,  and  the  ready  bugler  shouted  the  single 
reply  of  '  Forward  ! '  The  shame-faced  stragglers  fell  in  with  the  captain,  the 
orderly  and  the  bugler,  and  the  little  procession  swept  on  towards  the  fight. 

"  It  was  hot  work  in  the  Camino  Real.  Much  experience  had  given  the 
Spaniards  a  first-class  idea  of  the  range,  and  they  lined  the  road  with  bullets, 
for  they  knew  that  reinforcements  would  be  likely  to  come  that  way.  The 
mud  was  ankle  deep  most  of  the  way,  and,  in  spite  of  the  rain,  which  was 
unceasing,  the  heat  was  awful.  But  there  was  trouble  ahead,  and  on  they 
went,  with  the  exultant  bugle  singing  its  single  word  '  Forward ! '  Every 
time  the  answer  came  sharp  and  clear  from  Battery  H,  and  up  the  road  they 
doubled  for  dear  life.  At  the  cross-road  and  the  first  barricade,  where  Kray- 
enbuhl had  been  posted  with  his  regulars,  there  were  only  some  stragglers, 
and  Captain  O'Hara  thanked  God  and  sounded  '  Forward  ! ' — the  regulars  had 
gone  in.  The  stragglers  swung  in  with  O'Hara,  and  they  went  on  up  the  road. 

u  The  bullets  spatted  the  mud  in  their  faces  and  they  hugged  the  bam- 
boos at  the  sides  of  the  road.  They  advanced  in  double  column,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  and  so  they  escaped  harm.  Just  beyond  this  barricade 
Hobbs  and  his  men  of  Battery  H  overtook  them.  The  bugles  commanded 
'  Forward  ! '  and  on  they  ran.  The  song  of  the  bugles  carried  down  the  wind 
to  the  trenches.  The  hard-pressed  Pennsylvanians  heard  it  and  answered 
with  a  cheer  that  drifted  back  to  the  hurrying  regulars  and  put  strength  for  a 
new  spurt  into  their  tired  legs. 

"As  tfcfy  went  along  Captain  Hobbs  felt  a  suddden  sharp  sting  in  his 


160  THE    FIGHT   AT    MALATK. 

right  thign.  He  put  his  hand  down  and  felt  blood  and  knew  he  was  hit. 
But  his  leg  worked  all  right  and  he  had  his  bugler  sound  'Forward!'  and 
went  on. 

"  O'Hara  was  right  about  Krayenbuhl.  The  young  lieutenant  had  been 
keeping  sharp  watch  on  what  was  going  on  in  his  front,  and  when  the  Ameri- 
can firing  ceased  to  be  by  volleys  and  ran  into  an  indiscriminate  helterskelter, 
he  concluded  that  it  was  about  time  for  him  to  go  in.  Then  a  man  came  back 
with  the  report  that  everything  was  going  to  the  dogs,  and  Krayenbuhl  started^ 
sending  a  message  to  Kessler,  over  on  his  right,  to  come  along  in  a  hurry 
Kessler  was  expecting  the  order  and  was  ready  for  it,  and  in  went  the  meii 
of  Battery  K  on  the  jump.  Krayenbuhl  got  there  first  and  he  was  none  too 
soon.  The  Pennsylvanians  were  almost  out  of  ammunition.  Some  of  them 
had  four  or  five  rounds  left  and  some  of  them  had  none.  Those  who  still  had 
cartridges  were  popping  away  indiscriminately,  firing  at  will. 

"  Nothing  was  the  matter  with  them  but  rattles.  They  had  not  been 
hurt.  There  had  been  reports  from  across  the  road  of  the  loss  D  and  E 
Companies  were  suffering,  and  some  of  the  men  had  seen  their  dead,  but  in 
the  trench  they  were  all  right,  and  the  Utah  artillerymen,  cool  as  a  New  Eng- 
land Christmas,  were  serving  their  guns  with  clock-work  regularity,  undis- 
turbed by  rumor  or  shell. 

"As  the  regulars  went  in  and  Krayenbuhl  realized  what  was  going  on  he 
drew  his  revolver  and  jumped  among  the  excited  men,  who  were  firing  at  will, 
shouting  to  them  to  get  together,  and  threatening  to  shoot  the  first  man  who 
fired  without  orders.  His  own  men  swung  into  action,  and  his  command  and 
their  work  had  the  desired  effect. 

The  Frightened  Courier, 

"The  Pennsylvanians  steadied  down  at  once.  The  first  volley  of  the 
regulars,  fired  as  if  it  was  only  one  gun,  brought  the  volunteers  back  into 
shape,  and  they  cheered  the  men  of  Battery  K  with  a  cheer  that  rang  back 
along  the  road  to  O'Hara  and  Hobbs,  puffing  up  with  Battery  H,  The  roar 
of  the  Krag-Jorgensen  volley  told  O'Hara  and  Hobbs  that  their  own  men 
were  in  action,  and  the  cheer  that  followed  let  them  know  that  it  was  all  right 
But  they  did  not  slack  up.  Their  bugles  sounded  the  old  command  of '  For- 
ward ! '  and  they  kept  on. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  frightened  courier  had  stumbled  through  the  camp 
and  into  the  tent  of  Major  Jones,  the  master  of  transportation.  The  major 
had  been  up  and  about  for  some  time,  expecting  that  reinforcements  would  be 
sent  forward  and  ready  to  send  extra  ammunition  as  soon  as  the  orders  came 
from  General  Greene.  The  courier  was  almost  in  hysterics  when  he  found 


THE   FIGHT  AT  MALATE.  1C! 

the  rnajor,  and  he  was  exhausted  with  his  hard  run  of  two  miles  through 
the  mud. 

'"Somebody  take  my  gun/ he  cried.  'Help  me  to  General  Greene! 
Wiiere's  the  General  ?  Somebody  take  me  there  !  We're  whipped  !  We're 
«vh:pped  !  Oh,  it's  awful ! ' 

"  They  almost  picked  him  up  and  dragged  him  across  the  lot  and  up  the 
steps  to  the  General's  quarters  in  a  native  hut  just  in  front  of  the  camp.  The 
General  was  up,  expecting  a  message  from  the  front. 

"  'General,'  cried  the  wretched  courier,  'send  reinforcements — send  every 
man,  send  every  company.  We're  whipped,  we're  whipped!  The  whole 
battery  is  wiped  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  We're  out  of  ammunition*  Send 
help — send  ' — 

"  General  Greene  put  his  hand  on  the  frightened  messenger's  shoulder, 
and  said,  steadily : 

"  '  Keep  cool,  young  man.     It's  all  right.     We'll  take  care  of  you.' 

,Bugles  and  Bullets. 

"After  a  little  he  got  a  more  explicit  report,  but  already  he  had  ordered 
the  general  call  to  arms  to  be  sounded  through  the  camo  and  ammunition  to 
be  sent  forward.  At  the  general  call  the  bugles  rang  all  over  the  camp,  and 
every  man  answered  with  his  rifle  and  his  belt  full  of  cartridges.  Colonel 
Smith  of  the  First  California  was  ordered  to  go  forward  with  his  regiment  at 
once,  and  before  the  miserable  courier  had  half  finished  his  dreadful  story,  the 
first  battalion  under  Major  William  Baxter  was  doubling  up  through  the  fields 
and  the  Colonel  in  the  road  was  overhauling  the  two  artillery  Captains  and 
the  men  of  Battery  H.  The  Second  Battalion,  under  Major  Hugh  Sime,  fol- 
lowed, to  be  held  in  reserve,  and  the  Third  Battalion,  under  Captain  Cunning- 
ham, in  the  illness  of  Major  Tilden,  was  left  in  camp,  it  being  booked  for 
duty  in  the  trenches  the  next  day. 

"  At  last  General  Greene  got  the  messenger's  story  as  fully  as  the  badly 
scared  soldier  could  give  it,  and  dismissed  him.  The  poor  fellow  started 
through  the  camp  surrounded  by  men  who  were  eager  to  hear  the  news  from 
the  front. 

" '  Did  you  hear  any  bullets?  '  some  one  asked  him. 

"'  Bullets!'  he  cried;  'they're  like  hail.' 

"  General  Greene  at  once  ordered  Captain  Febiger  of  the  Twenty-third 
United  States  Infantry  to  go  out  to  the  Raleigh  and  tell  Captain  Coglan  to  be 
ready  to  engage  the  Malate  battery.  A  terrific  surf  was  booming  in  on  the 
beach  in  front  of  the  camp,  and  Captain  Febiger  had  no  boat.  After  a  lot  of 

work  he  succeeded  in  signalling  to  the  little  Callao,  which  was  lying  in  shore 
U  ~~  D 


162  THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

off  the  Raleigh,  to  send  a  boat.     Finally  the  boat  got  through  the  surf 
Captain  Febiger  put  out. 

"  It  was  a  tremendous  task,  but  the  Callao's  men  were  equal  to  it,  and 
the  Captain,  wet  as  if  he  had  been  dragged  in  on  a  lifeline,  boarded  the 
Raleigh.  Captain  Coglan's  orders  from  Admiral  Dewey  put  him  practically 
under  General  Greene,  and  he  at  once  prepared  to  respond  to  the  General's 
command.  The  ship  was  cleared  for  action  and  the  crew  went  to  quarters. 
Meantime  Captain  Febiger  had  returned  to  General  Greene,  who  sent  word 
back  to  the  Raleigh  by  the  Callao's  boat  that  a  rocket  would  be  the  General's 
signal  for  the  Raleigh  to  go  in.  So  the  Raleigh  stood  by  with  guns  shotted 
and  the  crew  at  quarters  waiting  for  the  rocket,  but  to  the  great  disappoint- 
ment of  the  jackies  it  was  not  fired.  The  regulars  in  the  trenches  settled  the 
matter,  and  no  help  was  needed  from  the  navy. 

Calif brnian's  Dreadful  Mistake. 

"Before  Captains  O'Hara  and  Hoff  got  to  the  trench  with  Battery  H, 
Kessler  had  joined  Krayenbuhl  with  the  second  platoon  of  K.  The  steady, 
heavy  volley  of  the  Krag-Jorgensen  rifles  of  the  regulars  warned  the  Spaniards 
that  reinforcements  had  come,  and  that  a  new  force  was  against  them.  Then 
came  Boxton's  battalion  of  California  men  and  made  a  terrible  mistake.  They 
marched  up  through  the  open  field  under  the  hailstorm  of  shells  and  bullets 
from  the  Spanish.  Captain  Reinhold  Richter  of  Company  I  was  the  first  to 
fall,  hit  on  the  top  of  the  head  on  the  right  side  by  a  bullet  which  made  a 
pulp  of  the  outer  layer  of  the  skull.  The  doctors  hope  he  will  recover,  but 
his  condition  is  very  critical. 

"  As  the  men  advanced  First  Sergeant  Morris  Jurth  of  Company  A  fell, 
instantly  killed  by  a  bullet  through  the  body.  Every  few  yards  some  man 
fell,  but  the  battalion  kept  on  until  they  reached  the  old  insurgent  trench. 
They  had  not  been  at  the  front  before  since  our  own  outwork  was  built  and 
they  thought  this  old  trench  was  ours.  They  saw  firing  ahead  of  them  and 
heard  the  bullets  whistle  by.  They  did  not  stop  to  ask  what  had  become  of 
our  men,  but  opened  fire  by  volley  straight  into  the  backs  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vanians  and  the  regulars  in  the  trenches  ahead  of  them. 

"  Colonel  Smith,  who  had  caught  up  with  the  regulars  of  Battery  H  and 
was  with  Captain  O'Hara  in  the  trench,  at  once  sent  one  of  his  officers  back 
to  warn  Major  Boxton  of  his  mistake.  The  officer  went  on  the  run,  but  before 
his  message  was  delivered  three  volleys  had  been  fired.  It  was  impossible  to 
tell  what  the  result  of  the  shooting  was  or  whether  any  of  our  men  were  hit. 
The  surgeons  say  that  they  cannot  distinguish  a  Mauser  wound  from  a  Spring- 
field, but  that  no  man  was  lulled  by  a  shot  from  behind.  One  man  was  hit  ic 


THE    FIGHT   AT   MALATE. 

the  back,  but  that  was  by  a  Mauser  bullet  that  struck  him  as  he  was  lyin| 
down  in  the  advance  across  the  open  field.  The  bullet  stuck  in  his  cartridge 
belt,  and  that's  how  it  was  shown  to  be  a  Mauser. 

"  When  the  California  Battalion  finally  got  to  the  front  it  was  sent  out 
with  part  of  the  regulars  to  the  support  of  D  and  E  companies  of  the  Penn- 
sylvanians  on  the  right.  There  and  in  the  march  up  through  the  open  field 
most  of  our  loss  was  met  with.  But  there  were  some  casualties  in  the  trench. 
Private  Brady,  of  I  Company,  Tenth  Pennsylvania,  was  killed  in  the  trench; 
and  Private  Mcllrath,  of  Battery  H,  got  the  wound  there  from  which  he  died 
the  next  morning.  Mcllrath  had  been  in  the  regular  army  for  fifteen  years, 
and  was  a  first-class  man.  He  was  acting  Sergeant  in  command  of  twenty 
men.  When  his  men  got  to  the  trench  there  was  a  great  deal  of  confusion 
and  excitement  among  the  Pennsylvanians,  and  Mcllrath  jumped  up  on  top  of 
the  parapet  and  shouted  : 

"  '  It's  all  right,  boys,  now  we've  got  'em.  Get  together  and  give  it  to  rom 
in  volleys.' 

"  He  was  walking  back  and  forth  on  top  of  the  parapet  steadying  the 
men,  when  he  was  hit  in  the  head  by  a  Mauser  bullet,  and  fell  back  among 
his  comrades.  He  died  in  the  brigade  hospital  early  on  Monday  morning. 

Private  Pinlay's  Heroism. 

"  Private  J.  F.  Finlay,  of  C  Company,  First  California,  especially  distin- 
guished himself.  For  such  work  as  his  Englishmen  get  the  Victoria  Cross. 
Finlay  is  detailed  to  Major  Jones's  transportation  department  as  interpreter. 
His  mother  was  a  Mexican,  and  he  learned  Spanish  before  he  did  English. 
When  ammunition  was  sent  forward  Finlay  was  in  charge  of  the  train.  He 
had  eight  carromatta  loads  of  it,  each  carromatta  with  a  native  driver.  He 
starte'd  when  the  Spanish  fire  was  hottest  and  went  straight  up  through  the 
open  fields.  The  bullets  buzzed  and  whistled  all  about  him.  They  ripped 
through  the  tops  of  his  carts,  and  one  of  them  hit  one  of  his  drivers  in  the  leg. 

"  Finlay  kept  on  as  if  he  were  going  after  corn  on  a  pleasant  afternoon 
until  he  reached  the  old  insurgent  trench.  Then  he  halted  his  train  and  went 
forward  alone  to  find  some  one  from  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  to  whom  he 
could  deliver  the  ammunition.  That  last  hundred  yards  into  our  trench  was 
what  Captain  O'Hara,  a  grizzled  veteran  who  has  seen  a-plenty  of  hot  work, 
called  a  '  very  hot  place.'  It  was  swept  incessantly  by  Spanish  bullets.  But 
Finlay  hunted  around  until  he  found  his  man,  went  back  and  got  his  carro- 
mattas,  and  started  forward.  One  of  his  ponies  was  shot  just  in  the  rear  of 
our  trench.  Finlay  took  it  out  of  the  cart,  and,  with  the  native  driver,  hauled 
the  cart  along  to  its  place,  delivered  his  cartridges,  and  started  back. 


!<?4  THE   FIGHT  AT  MALATE. 

•'  Ofi  the  way  he  found  Captain  Richter  lying  in  the  field  where  he  had 
fallen.  He  jumped  out  of  his  carromatta,  put  the  Captain  in,  and  started  on. 
Pretty  soon  he  found  another  wounded  man.  That  one  was  picked  up,  too, 
and  back  he  went  to  camp.  Then  he  turned  the  wounded  over  to  the  surgeons 
and  got  orders  to  take  ten  carromattas  to  the  front  and  bring  back  the  wounded. 
Back  over  that  bullet-swept  field  he  went  again,  as  cool  and  unconcerned  as  if 
on  a  drive  through  Golden  Gate  Park,  did  his  work,  brought  in  the  woanded, 
and  turned  in  to  get  what  sleep  he  could  before  the  hard  day's  work  began 
soon  after  daylight. 

"  After  he  had  sent  forward  everything  that  he  could  to  help  the  men  at 
the  front,  General  Greene  went  out  himself.  By  this  time  it  was  after  2 
o'clock,  and  the  worst  of  it  was  over.  The  regulars  were  pumping  in  heavy 
volleys,  and  the  Utah  boys  were  cracking  away  at  their  undisturbed  target 
practice,  and  the  '  attempt  at  flanking '  was  repulsed.  General  Greene 
stayed  at  the  front  until  after  3  o'clock,  and  then  returned  to  camp.  At  day- 
light there  was  a  sharp  burst  of  firing  by  the  Spaniards,  but  our  men  did  not 
respond,  and  there  was  no  damage  done.  The  wounded  were  all  brought 
into  camp,  and  the  serious  cases  were  treated  at  the  brigade  hospital ;  the 
others  were  taken  care  of  at  regimental  hospitals  or  went  to  their  tents. 

Burial  of  the  Dead. 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  eight  dead  were  buried  in  the  yard  of  the  old  con- 
vent at  Maribacan,  back  of  the  camp.  There  were  no  coffins  available,  so 
each  man  was  sewed  up  in  his  blanket,  and  an  identification  tag  was  sewed 
fast  to  it.  They  were  buried  all  in  one  trench,  and  headboards  were  set  up 
to  mark  the  graves,  bearing  the  names  of  the  dead.  The  chaplain  of  the 
Tenth  Pennsylvania  took  a  careful  description  of  the  place  and  the  graves, 
with  the  names  and  records  of  the  dead 

"  The  surgeons  worked  all  day  over  the  wounded,  and  did  not  get 
through  until  9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  They  found  several  very  serious 
cases,  some  of  which  have  since  resulted  in  death. 

"  On  Monday  two  battalions  of  the  First  Colorado  and  the  third  battalion 
of  the  First  California  were  sent  into  the  trenches  with  a  new  detachment  of 
the  even-tempered  Mormons.  They  finished  the  work  on  the  embankment, 
and  the  California  men,  who  went  in  on  the  right  of  the  road  where  D  and  E 
companies  of  the  Pennsylvanians  suffered  so  severely  the  night  before,  began 
to  dig  a  trench  for  themselves.  It  was  a  nasty,  slimy  place  they  had,  and 
hard  work  intrenching.  Just  as  they  had  got  a  ridge  of  mud  about  two 
feet  high  thrown  up  in  front  of  them,  the  Spaniards  cut  loose  again.  A  red 
hot  fire  was  kept  up  all  night,  and  the  Californians  responded  with  vigor. 


THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE.  1G5 

One  man  was  shot  through  the  left  shoulder,  but  it  was  only  a  flesh  wound, 
and  not  serious. 

"  When  the  evening  performance  opened,  the  Colorado  and  Utah  men 
in  the  trenches  replied  hotly,  the  infantrymen  firing  volleys  that  were  hard  to 
tell  from  big-gun  firing,  and  the  Utah  men  blazing  away  in  their  old,  level- 
headed fashion.  The  practice  of  the  Spanish  gunners  was  excellent,  and  the 
shells  burst  all  about  the  intrenchment.  The  Spaniards  left  their  trench  and 
advanced  into  the  scrub.  Apparently  they  had  one  field  gun  with  them,  and 
it  paid  particular  attention  to  the  guns  of  Battery  B  of  Utah. 

"  Finally,  one  of  its  shells  came  through  the  embrasure  and  burst  on  top 
of  the  gun,  knocking  off  the  sights.  The  Utah  men  had  a  shrapnel  shell  in 
their  gun  at  the  time,  and  they  let  it  go.  It  burst  right  where  the  flash  of 
the  Spanish  gun  had  been  seen,  and  the  Spanish  gun  was  heard  no  more  that 
night.  Whether  it  was  disabled  or  not  cannot  be  told. 

"  Just  after  the  firing  began,  Private  Fred  Springstead,  D  Company,  First 
Colorado,  was  killed.  He  was  posted  at  lookout,  and  was  peering  over  the 
top  of  the  trench.  A  Mauser  bullet  struck  him  in  the  left  eye  and  went 
through  hio  head,  killing  him  instantly.  His  head  dropped  on  his  hand,  but 
that  was  a  common  action  with  the  lookouts,  and  no  attention  was  paid  to  it 
by  his  comrades  until  he  collapsed  and  fell  down.  The  ball  struck  him  so 
quickly  that  it  did  not  mark  the  eyelid,  and  when  the  lid  was  closed  no  mark 
of  the  wound  showed.  One  man  in  G  Company  was  shot  in  the  thigh  that 
night.  That  sums  up  the  loss. 

"  Most  of  the  night  the  Colorado  men  sat  still  and  let  the  Spaniards 
waste  their  ammunition.  At  daylight  there  was  a  sharp  fire  by  the  Spaniards 
for  twenty  minutes.  They  shelled  the  old  chapel  with  excellent  aim,  their 
shells  bursting  in  and  around  it  constantly,  but  doing  no  damage  to  our  men. 
Their  ajvance  had  crawled  to  within  fifty  yards  of  our  trench,  and  Major  Bell, 
of  the  Engineers,  Chief  of  Office  of  Military  Information,  on  General  Merritt's 
staff,  urged  Colonel  Hall  to  go  over  the  breastwork  and  capture  them.  But 
Colonel  Hall  wisely  refused.  Some  of  his  men  surely  would  have  been 
killed,  and  the  loss  of  one  man  would  not  have  been  compensated  for  by  the 
whole  Spanish  advance.  We  have  more  prisoners  now  than  we  know  what 
to  do  with,  and  the  capture  of  these  would  not  have  done  any  good ;  it 
wouldn't  have  put  us  any  nearer  Manila." 

Tales  of  Heroism. 

Corporal  Hudson,  of  the  Utah  Battery,  performed  a  notable  act  of  gal- 
lantry on  the  night  of  July  3ist.  A  gun  embrasure  had  been  wrecked  by  a 
shell  which  rendered  the  gun  useless.  Another  shell  entered,  carrying  awa/ 


1G6  THE    FIGHT  AT   MALATE. 

jhe  sights.  Hudson  jumped  over  the  trenches,  exposed  himself  to  the  heavy 
Spanish  fire,  reconstructed  the  embrasure  and  in  five  minutes  the  gun  was 
again  working.  He  was  cheered  by  his  comrades  and  congratulated  by  his 
commander.  This  brave  man  was  the  American  whom  the  insurgents  at- 
tempted to  arrest  in  Cavite  on  August  26th.  He  resisted  and  was  shot  dead. 

E.  E.  Kelly,  a  Chicago  telegraph  operator,  had  charge  of  the  wire  from 
General  Greene's  headquarters  in  camp  to  the  trenches.  During  the  attack 
a  shell  cut  the  wire  behind  the  trenches.  Kelly  seized  the  line  outside  the 
camp  and  ran  along  the  line  in  the  darkness  under  a  hail  of  bullets  clear  up 
to  the  trenches,  where  he  found  the  break  and  repaired  it.  Communication 
was  instantly  opened  and  the  troops  in  the  trenches  were  notified  that  rein- 
forcements were  advancing  to  their  assistance.  Kelly  was  made  a  sergeant 
in  the  Signal  Corps  by  General  Greene. 

A  corporal  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania,  single-handed,  captured  seven 
armed  Spanish  soldiers  near  the  Luneta  battery.  He  marched  them  five 
hundred  yards  to  a  company  commander,  where  they  were  disarmed. 

Two  nights  after  the  capitulation  two  hundred  armed  insurgents  attempted 
tc  enter  Binondo.  They  encountered  a  guard  of  thirty  men  of  the  Nebraska 
regiment.  This  detail  disarmed  them,  arrested  them  and  marched  them 
prisoners  to  headquarters. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Downfall  of  the  Capital  of  the  Philippines. 

JN  Saturday,  August  I3th,  the  City  of  Manila  surrendered  to  our 
American  forces.  From  an  eye-witness  of  the  thrilling  event,  we 
furnish  the  reader  with  the  following  graphic  account : 

"  Manila  is  ours.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  flung  out  to 
the  breeze  this  evening  on  a  staff  where  floated  so  proudly  the  banner  that 
for  350  years  represented  Spanish  sovereignty  in  the  Philippines.  Just  as  tht 
fresh  breeze  snapped  Old  Glory  straight  on  the  halliards  the  sun,  which  had 
been  behind  clouds  all  the  week,  burst  out  in  a  flood  of  brilliant  light,  saluting 
the  first  free  flag  hoisted  over  the  Philippines  in  formal  recognition  of  oppres- 
sion's overthrow  and  freedom's  onward  march. 

"  The  cheers  from  land  and  sea  that  greeted  the  glorious  ensign  had 
hardly  died  away  when  the  guns  of  Admiral  Dewey's  flagship,  the  Olympia, 
began  roaring  out  a  national  salute  to  the  new  sovereignty  in  the  Philippines. 
The  Charleston  quickly  followed,  and  then  the  Raleigh,  Concord,  Hugh 
McCulloch,  Petrel,  Boston  and  Baltimore,  and  even  the  little  Callao,  that 
three  months  ago  boasted  allegiance  to  the  flag  that  has  now  been  supplanted. 

Loud  Thunder  of  Salutes. 

"  The  bay  resounded  with  the  noises  of  the  salutes  that  clouds  of  smoke 
rolled  from  the  warships ;  and  except  there  were  no  echoing  reports  of 
bursting  shells,  the  scene  was  the  counterpart  of  that  of  the  morning  when 
the  ships  were  sending  the  iron  hail  ashore  that  brought  about  the  surrender 
of  the  city.  The  western  sky  remained  clear,  and  as  the  sun  dropped  behind 
the  mountains  in  a  blaze  of  glory  its  last  rays  streamed  over  the  warships  of 
the  envious  Germans,  kissed  the  upturned  faces  and  lit  up  the  uncovered 
heads  of  the  United  States  soldiers  reverently  watching  the  '  flag  of  the  free ' 
slowly  and  gracefully  waving  in  its  proud  place  at  the  close  of  the  first 
evening  parade  of  Americans  in  Spain's  ancient  Eastern  capital. 

"  Manila's  fall  marks  the  close  of  the  second  step  in  a  campaign  that  was 
well  planned  and  well  carried  out.  Few  mistakes  have  marred  its  execution. 
None  is  chargeable  to  the  navy.  Since  the  first  amazing  bloodless  victory  in 
Manila  Bay,  it  had  been  Admiral  Dewey's  constant  hope  to  obtain  the  surren- 
der of  the  city  without  the  sacrifice  of  a  single  life,  Had  his  plans  been  fol- 

167 


168  DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA. 

lowed  and  his  counsel  heeded  that  great  result  might  have  been  attained,  but 
the  ill-considered  haste  of  the  army  in  advancing  cost  the  lives  of  a  score  of 
men  in  General  Greene's  brigade,  with  thrice  as  many  wounded  in  all  the  land 
fights. 

"Admiral  Dewey  was  not  ready  to  make  his  final  demand  for  Manila's 
surrender.  The  possibility  of  German  interference  at  the  last  made  him  pre- 
fer to  await  the  arrival  of  the  monitor  Monadnock  before  throwing  down  the 
gauntlet,  but  he  felt  that  the  useless  killing  of  American  soldiers  must  stop. 
So,  on  Sunday  morning,  August  7,  an  ultimatum,  so  called,  was  sent  and 
delivered  through  Captain  Chicester,  the  senior  officer  of  the  British  fleet 
here.  It  reached  General  Jaudenes,  the  new  captain-general,  at  12.30  o'clock. 
Admiral  Dewey  warned  the  Spaniards  to  get  all  their  sick  and  wounded  and 
women  and  children  to  places  of  safety  within  forty-eight  hours.  He  notified 
them  that  the  Americans  would  begin  the  bombardment  after  that  time  when- 
ever they  pleased  without  further  notice.  At  the  same  time  Admiral  Dewey 
notified  the  neutral  fleet  that  he  needed  the  stretch  of  water  they  occupied. 

''Our  army  was  not  in  a  condition  to  attack  and  was  not  prepared  for 
much  resistance,  but  General  Merritt  joined  Admiral  Dewey  in  the  demand 
for  the  surrender  of  the  city.  Neither  believed  that  the  Spanish  would  fight 
Their  information  was  to  the  effect  that  there  was  a  split  in  Manila,  one  fac- 
tion  being  ready  to  surrender,  while  the  other  was  in  favor  of  holding  out. 
The  American  cc  nmanders  believed  that  a  perfunctory  resistance  only  would 
be  made,  but  both  prepared  to  make  a  stubborn  fight  if  necessary. 

Parleying  for  Delay. 

"  The  ultimatum  expired  at  noon  on  Tuesday,  August  9.  On  Monday 
afternoon  the  Spanish  requested,  through  the  Belgian  Consul,  another  day 
to  remove  the  non-combatants  and  the  sick  and  wounded.  This  was  granted. 
M.  Andre,  the  Belgian  Consul,  had  been  active  in  endeavoring  to  effect  an 
arrangement  between  the  Americans  and  Spanish  to  prevent  further  fighting 
and  bloodshed.  As  soon  as  the  ultimatum  was  delivered  he  removed  his  fam- 
ily to  the  supply  ship  Culgoa  and  stopped  there  himself.  M.  Andre  reported 
on  Tuesday  afternoon  that  the  Spaniards  were  determined  to  make  at  least  a 
show  of  resistance.  Accordingly  the  fleet  prepared  to  begin  a  bombardment 
at  noon  on  Wednesday. 

"  On  Tuesday  morning  the  neutral  fleets  left  their  anchorage  and  the  four 

'I English  warships,  the  Immortalite,  the  flagship;  the  Iphegenia,  Linnet  and 

Swift,  and  the  Japanese  cruiser  Naniwa  came  across  the  bay  and  anchored 

with  our  fleet.     The  German  cruisers  Irene  and  Cormoran  went  to  Marweles 

the  ships  aboard  which  the  foreign  residents  had  taken  refuge.  The  othe*' 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA. 

German  warships,  the  flagship  Kaiser,  the  Kaiserin  Augusta  and  the  Prinz 
Wilhelm,  and  the  French  flagship  Bayard  and  cruiser  Pascal  moved  a  little 
north  of  their  old  positions  and  anchored  together.  Thus  America's  friends 
and  opponents  made  two  distinct  groups.  It  was  fine  to  see  the  English  and 
Japanese  warships  come  among  the  American  vessels  while  the  others  sulked 
away  by  themselves. 

"  On  Tuesday  afternoon  the  American  ships  finished  stripping  for  the 
fight.  All  the  boats  except  those  which  were  absolutely  necessary  had  been 
sent  to  the  Cavite  Navy  Yard.  All  the  woodwork  that  could  be  spared  and 
all  other  inflammable  material  were  also  sent  there.  Splinter  nets  were  spread, 
guns  cleaned  and  oiled,  gear  examined  and  everything  inspected.  All  was 
ready  to  clear  ship  for  action  in  a  few  minutes.  That  evening  the  Concord 
and  Petrel  crossed  the  bay  and  took  positions  opposite  the  battery  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Pasig  river.  On  Wednesday  morning  both  ships  cleared  for 
action  and  their  crews  went  to  general  quarters.  Then  the  Olympia  signalled 
'Action  postponed.' 

Gunboats  and  Batteries. 

"  General  Merritt  had  found  that  the  army  was  not  ready.  In  the  after- 
noon Admiral  Dewey  ordered  the  Concord  and  Petrel  to  take  positions  a  mile 
off  the  breakwater.  The  gunboats  steamed  down  under  the  battery  of  big 
ten-inch  rifles  on  the  Luneta,  the  fashionable  promenade  of  the  city,  and 
anchored  where  they  could  fairly  look  down  into  the  muzzles  of  the  Spanish 
guns.  All  the  Manila  fortifications  were  in  plain  view.  The  artillerymen 
could  easily  be  seen  standing  about  their  guns.  No  effort  was  made,  however, 
to  attack  our  ships  or  the  boats  from  the  flagship  bringing  provisions. 

u  It  was  reported  that  the  delay  was  due  to  the  army's  lack  of  prep- 
aration. Finally,  Flag  Lieutenant  Brumby  brought  word  that  the  ac- 
tion would  surely  begin  this  morning.  M.  Andre  had  been  hard  at  work  in 
the  meantime  with  the  result  that  there  was  a  practical  certainty  that  there 
would  be  no  hard  fighting.  Lieutenant  Brumby  brought  an  order  that  the 
Concord  and  Petrel  were  not  to  fire  unless  they  were  attacked.  This  morning 
the  Concord  was  ordered  to  resume  her  ctation  opposite  the  Pasig  battery 
and  the  Petrel  was  recalled. 

"At  8  45  A.  M.  the  fleet  got  under  way.  The  Concord  took  a  position 
on  the  north  end  of  the  line,  and  the  monitor  Monterey  went  in  close  to  the 
Luneta  battery.  The  Charleston,  Baltimore  and  Boston  went  further  out  to 
engage  the  same  batteries.  The  Olympia,  Raleigh  and  Petrel  took  up  posi- 
tions opposite  Malate  with  the  Callao  and  McCulloch. 

"  The  morning  was  thick  and  hazy,  with  frequent  heavy  rain  squalls. 


170  DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA. 

completely  hiding  everything  from  view.  With  great  battle  flags  flying  from 
every  truck  and  from  mizzen  or  main  gaffs,  the  American  ships  prepared  to 
enforce  the  surrender  of  Spain's  richest  Eastern  possession.  At  9.30  o'clock 
the  Olympia  opened  fire  from  her  starboard  battery  on  Malate.  Two  puffs  of 
smoke  were  followed  by  two  splashes  of  water  near  the  beach.  Both  shots 
fell  short.  Then  two  booming  reports  rolled  across  the  bay,  starting  cheers 
from  every  ship. 

"  The  neutral  ships  immediately  got  away  and  prepared  to  observe  the  [ 
action.  The  French  and  Germans  were  behind  the  Concord  in  such  a  position 
that  Spanish  shots  at  our  gunboat  flying  high  were  likely  to  hit  them.     The 
English  flagship  and  the  Iphegenia  stood  across  the  bay  to  their  old  position 
to  get  a  clearer  view  of  the  bombardment. 

"  The  roar  of  the  Olympia's  shots  had  hardly  died  away  when  the  Petrel 
opened.  The  Raleigh  followed,  and  the  little  Callao,  which  had  steamed  close 
inshore,  cracked  away  with  her  one  gun  in  lively  fashion.  All  the  fire  was  at 
Malate.  The  first  dozen  shots  fell  short,  and  it  seemed  as  though  this  must 
have  been  intentional.  Spanish  honor,  however,  was  not  satisfied  by  such 
ineffectual  shooting,  and  there  were  no  signs  of  surrender. 

Shells  Begin  to  Hit. 

"  The  practice  of  our  ships  soon  improved,  and  shell  began  falling  in  the 
Malate  fort  and  along  the  Spanish  intrenchments  beyond.  The  Olympia, 
Raleigh,  Petrel  and  Callao  blazed  away.  The  Spanish  guns  maintained  a 
regretful  silence.  The  Pasig  and  Luneta  batteries  preserved  an  unbroken 
silence.  The  Monterey,  with  her  low  free-board,  which  made  her  almost  invis- 
ible, steamed  close  inshore,  daring  the  Spaniards  to  open  fire  on  her,  but  they 
would  not.  In  the  meantime  the  four  ships  in  action  kept  up  a  lively  fire  for 
a  few  minutes  and  then  stopped.  Then  they  fired  again,  and  clouds  of  dirt, 
stone  and  smoke  rose  above  Malate.  It  was  evident  that  the  five,  six  and 
eight-inch  shells  were  doing  great  execution.  At  times  the  rain  hid  the  rest 
of  the  fleet,  but  the  roar  of  the  guns  and  the  rumbling  echoes  that  filled  the 
bay  showed  that  the  Americans  were  still  at  it. 

"  Spanish  flags  flew  bravely  over  Manila,  One  big  fellow  flaunted  his 
red  and  yellow  stripes  in  the  eyes  of  the  Americans  as  it  waved  over  the 
solitary  ten-inch  gun  in  front  of  the  cathedral. 

"At  10.30  o'clock  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  flagship  signalled:  'The 
enemy's  camp  is  breaking  up ! ' 

"  Cheerful  news  was  beginning  to  come,  and  this  news  evoked  fresh  cheers 
along  the  American  line.  Our  artillery  in  front  of  Malate  had  been  doing  lively 
work,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  Spanish  position  was  completely  untenable. 


DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA.  171 

"At  10.50  o'clock  the  Olympia  signalled:  'Cease  firing.'  The  Callao 
y*£  fl>0  much  occupied  to  heed  the  signal,  and  kept  blazing  away.  The 
Olympia  signalled  again,  and  the  Callao  stopped  firing.  Then  the  flagship 
set  the  international  signal,  'D  W  H  B,'  Tvhich  translated  means,  'surrender.' 
That  was  a  demand  for  the  Spanish  to  haul  down  their  flags.  After  a  few 
minutes,  the  Spaniards  making  no  apparent  reply,  the  Olympia  signalled  : 
'  Close  up/  The  Charleston,  Baltimore  and  Boston,  which  had  been  lying 
well  out,  responded,  and  it  began  to  look  as  though  there  might  be  serious 
business,  after  all. 

"  At  noon,  the  Spaniards  not  having  replied,  the  Olympia  signalled,  '  Do 
you  surrender?*  using  the  international  code,  for  which  an  interpreter  was 
not  necessary.  Still  there  was  no^  reply.  Then  a  launch  flying  the  Belgian 
flag  aft,  with  a  flag  of  truce  forward,  left  the  flagship  and  steamed  to  Manila. 
In  it  were  M.  Andre,  Lieutenant  Brumby  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Whittier, 
who  were  going  to  consult  the  Spaniards.  Meantime  the  Spaniards  had 
replied  to  the  flagship's  signal  with  the  international  code  letters  '  C  F  L,' 
meaning  '  A  member  of  Parliament.'  The  only  interpretation  to  this  was 
that  the  Spaniards  wanted  to  talk,  so  Admiral  Dewey  and  General  Merritt 
sent  representatives. 

The  Admiral  Looks  Out  for  His  Men. 

"  All  of  M.  Andre's  negotiations  had  been  verbal  and  unofficial,  both 
sides  relying  entirely  upon  him  for  the  accuracy  of  the  transmission  of  their 
messages.  After  the  launch  had  left  the  flagship  there  was  a  long  wait.  It 
had  been  said  that  Admiral  Dewey  would  rather  fight  than  eat,  in  spite  of  the 
famous  Mayday  delay  for  breakfast,  which  delay,  in  fact,  was  for  the  purpose 
of  restowing  ammunition.  His  action  to-day  showed  this  to  be  wrong.  He 
took  advantage  of  the  delay  to  signal  the  fleet  to  go  to  dinner  by  watches. 

"  The  Belgian  launch  remained  at  Manila  for  a  long  time,  the  fleet  mean- 
time waiting  developments  anxiously-  Finally  it  started  back  at  full  speed, 
taking  down  the  flag  of  truce  soon  after  it  reached  the  flagship.  The  Olympia 
at  2.30  P.  M.  set  the  signal  'The  enemy  has  surrendered!'  which  brought 
more  cheers  from  the  fleet.  It  was  all  over  but  the  shouting. 

"  One  hundred  and  five  days  ago  Admiral  Dewey  came  into  Manila  Bay. 
Within  twelve  hours  he  had  destroyed  the  Spanish  fleet  of  eleven  vessels, 
taken  Cavite,  and  had  white  flags  over  Manila.  It  has  taken  the  army  over 
three  months  to  arrange  to  hold  what  he  gained  then.  Moreover,  the  delay 
was  so  great  that  it  needed  a  great  show  of  force  to-day  to  persuade  the 
Spaniards  to  surrender. 

"  As  the  Belgian  launch  started  toward  the  Olympia  a  white  flag  was 


172  DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA. 

hoisted  over  the  Luneta  fort.  The  Spanish  flag  still  flew,  however.  As  soon 
as  the  surrender  was  announced  two  battalions  of  the  Second  Oregon  Regi- 
ment, who  were  on  a  steamer,  started  ashore.  The  steamer  went  close  in 
beside  the  breakwater,  on  which  the  troops  landed  and  marched  ashore. 
General  Merritt  had  already  gone  ashore  in  a  small  boat.  Flag  Lieutenant 
Brumby,  with  the  Olympiads  biggest  flag,  went  in  a  small  boat  to  haul  down 
the  Spanish  flag.  He  took  with  him  two  apprentice  boys.  When  they 
reached  the  staff  in  front  of  the  Cathedral  a  great  crowd  of  Spaniards 
gathered  around  them.  As  the  Spanish  flag  came  down  many  men  and 
women  in  the  crowd  wept.  Then  Old  .Glory  climbed  the  staff  supplanting 
the  yellow  and  red  flag  of  Spain. 

"  An  army  band  that  was  coming'up  at  jhe  head  of  the  troops  marching 
from  Camp  Dewey  happened  to  start  pia^-ng  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner  " 
j  ust  at  the  time  the  flag  was  hoisted.  This  was  merely  a  coincidence,  for  the 
band  was  around  a  corner  and  could  not  see  the  flag-raising.  There  was 
tremendous  cheering  by  the  Americans  when  the  flag  rose  over  the  building, 
and  it  could  be  heard  aboard  the  ships  in  the  bay. 

Pressing  on  Toward  the  City. 

"  The  army  had  been  advancing  along  the  shore  since  soon  after  the 
firing  began.  They  attacked  the  Malate  fort  sharply,  two  brigades  advanc- 
ing in  columns.  The  Spanish  replied  smartly,  and  killed  eleven  Americans 
and  wounded  thirty-nine.  The  Spanish  fired  Mauser  volleys.  After  Malate 
surrendered  the  Americans  kept  on  toward  the  city.  They  marched  along 
the  beach,  and  rode  and  moved  along  the  Luneta.  To-night  our  forces 
occupy  Manila  completely. 

"  After  the  surrender  the  Spaniards  tried  to  destroy  what  property  they 
could.  They  burned  a  small  gunboat  in  the  Pasig  River  and  scuttled  a  tug, 
but  Lieutenant  Brumby  managed  to  save  the  latter.  So  the  navy  completes 
its  Manila  campaign  without  losing  a  man.  The  only  loss  here  is  the  army's, 
and  that  is  very  small.  Many  of  the  enemy's  bullets  struck  the  Callao,  but 
she  sustained  no  damage. 

"  General  Merritt  landed  with  an  Oregon  company  as  his  escort.  All 
saluted  when  the  flag  was  raised.  An  Oregon  regiment  policed  the  city  all 
night,  and  Oregon  men  received  the  surrender  of  the  Spanish  arms.  The 
Spaniards  surrendered  with  the  honors  of  war.  The  officers  retained  their 
side  arms.  No  arrangement  has  been  made  concerning  the  transfer  of  the 
Bank  of  Spain.  This  question  has  been  referred  to  the  government  at 
Washington. 

"Throughout  Saturday  night  men  kept  coming  in  from  the  Spanish 


DOWNFALL  OF  MANILA.  173 

lines.  When  the  Oregon  troops  reached  the  Captain-General's  palace,  where 
General  Merritt  has  made  his  headquarters,  they  found  the  plaza  packed  with 
Spaniards.  Between  6,000  and  7,000  soldiers  gave  up  their  arms,  which  con- 
sisted mostly  of  Mauser  rifles.  Twelve  thousand  stand  of  arms  were  taken 
and  millions  of  rounds  of  ammunition.  Enough  new  Mauser  rifles  were 
raptured  to  arm  most  of  our  regiments.  Three  magazines  were  found  full  of, 
powder. 

"  Our  men  advanced  in  two  brigades,  General  Greene's  moving  along  the 
beach  and  main  road  against  Malate,  while  General  MacArthur  advancedj 
along  the  Cingalon  road  from  Pasal.  General  MacArthur  had  a  hot  fight  at 
Cingalon.  The  Astor  Battery  distinguished  itself  by  its  bravery.  It  lost 
two  men  killed  and  several  wounded.  The  batteries  shelled  the  Spanish  out 
of  a  blockhouse  on  the  outer  line.  The  Spaniards  then  retreated  to  Cingalon, 
where  they  hid  in  houses  and  behind  a  barricade,  making  a  stubborn  resis- 
tance. The  Astor  Battery  advanced  two  guns  to  within  seventy-five  yards  of 
the  barricade,  and  then  charged  the  Spaniards  with  pistols. 

Hid  in  Brush  and  Gardens. 

"  After  leaving  the  lines  the  Spanish  made  a  nasty  guerilla  right.  They 
hid  in  the  brush  and  in  gardens,  and  shot  at  Americans  as  they  advanced. 
The  Colorado  men  were  the  first  to  reach  the  wall  of  the  city.  Admiral 
Dewey  said  this  morning  that  negotiations  for  the  surrender  of  the  city  had 
been  under  way  for  a  month.  He  alone  believed  that  it  was  possible  to 
accomplish  the  capture  of  Manila  with  such  slight  loss.  Generals  Merritt  and 
Anderson  were  incredulous,  but  Admiral  Dewey  persisted,  with  the  result 
that  in  all  the  campaign  the  navy  has  not  lost  a  man. 

"  General  Merritt  has  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  a  military 
government  for  Manila.  It  is  printed  in  Spanish  and  extensively  circulated. 
It  first  announces  the  fact  that  a  state  of  war  has  existed  between  the  United 
State  and  Spain  since  April.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  Spanish 
fleet  in  the  Philippines  has  been  destroyed,  Manila  is  now  taken  and  is  in  pos- 
session of  the  army  of  occupation. 

"The  proclamation  says  that  the  United  States  Government  has  directed 
the  general  commanding  to  announce  that  the  Americans  have  not  come  to 
wage  war  on  the  people,  but  will  protect  all  in  their  personal  and  religious 
rights.  There  will  be  a  military  occupation  of  the  island  of  Luzon,  but  until 
further  notice  all  laws  will  continue  in  effect  which  relate  to  personal  rights, 
local  societies,  and  crime,  unless  they  conflict  with  the  necessary  military 
laws  as  may  be  determined  by  the  general  commanding. 

"The  laws  will  be  administered  by  the  ordinary  tribunals  and  officers 


174  DOWNFALL   OF  MANILA. 

who  may  accept  the  authority  of  the  United  States.  Churches  and  places  c> 
religious  worship  will  be  protected,  and  also  all  public  properties,  works  oi 
art  and  libraries.  The  people  will  not  be  interfered  with  so  long  as  they  pre- 
serve the  peace. 

"  The  proclamation  provides  for  the  appointment  of  a  provost  marshal, 
whose  duty  will  be  fully  set  forth  in  the  appointing  order.  Manila  and  the 
outlying  suburbs  will  be  under  his  control,  with  sub-districts  and  sub-provosts 
in  charge.  They  will  have  charge  of  arrests  for  violations  of  the  civil  as  well 
as  the  military  laws. 

"  All  ports  will  be  held  by  the  land  or  naval  forces  until  the  United 
States  declares  them  open  for  the  trade  of  neutral  nations  on  paymen  of  the 
prescribed  rates  of  duty. 

"  Perfect  order  prevailed  in  Manila  on  the  evening  of  the  surrender.  As 
the  Americans  marched  in,  guards  were  placed  around  the  houses  of  all 
foreigners  in  order  to  prevent  their  being  looted.  The  insurgents  were  not 
allowed  to  take  part  in  the  attack  upon  the  city,  but  were  kept  in  the  rear  oi 
the  Americans.  In  order  to  prevent  bloodshed  they  were  forbidden  to  entef 
the  city  after  the  surrender  unless  they  were  unarmed." 

Following  Up  the  Victory. 

It  was  announced  from  Washington  that  there  would  be  no  joint  occu- 
pation of  Manila  by  American  and  insurgent  armies.  The  victory  won  by 
Dewey's  and  Merritt' s  forces,  when  the  Spaniards  lost  so  heavily  during  a 
sharp  attack  upon  their  trenches,  and  in  which  victory  the  insurgents  had  no 
part,  would  be  followed  up.  The  city,  bay  and  harbor  would  be  held  exclu- 
sively by  the  United  State  forces  under  General  Merritt.  This  was  deter- 
mined by  President  McKinley. 

General  Merritt  had  briefly  reported  the  fall  of  Manila  and  the  capture 
of  several  thousand  Spanish  prisoners.  The  Administration  already  knew 
this,  from  press  dispatches,  as  also  the  facts  that  many  thousand  stand  of 
arms  were  captured,  and  that  only  a  small  number  of  American  soldiers  fell 
in  the  battle.  But  Merritt  asked  concerning  the  proposed  joint  occupation 
of  the  city,  and  the  President,  through  Secretary  Alger,  vetoed  the  latter  plan 
emphatically. 

The  Navy  Department  received  the  following  report  from  Admiral 
Dewey  of  the  bombardment  and  surrender  of  Manila,  his  message  bearing 
date  of  Saturday,  August  13,  the  day  of  the  battle  : 

"  Manila  surrendered  to-day  to  the  American  land  and  naval  forces,  after 
a  combined  attack.  A  division  of  the  squadron  shelled  the  forts  and  entrench- 
ments at  Malate,  on  the  south  side  of  the  city,  driving  back  the  enemy,  our 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA.  175 

army  advancing  from  that  side  at  the  same  time.  The  city  surrendered 
about  5  o'clock,  the  American  flag  being  hoisted  by  Lieutenant  Brumby. 
About  7000  prisoners  were  taken.  The  squadron  had  no  causalties.  None 
of  the  vessels  were  injured.  On  August  7,  General  Merritt  and  I  formally 
demanded  the  surrender  of  the  city,  which  the  Spanish  Governor  General 
refused.  "  DEWEY." 

General  Merritt  sent  further  reports  to  the  War  Department  on  August 
1 9th.  Several  cablegrams  were  received  from  him,  the  most  important  of 
which  gave  the  articles  of  capitulation  of  the  city  and  defenses  of  Manila. 
Another  message  announced  that  Brigadier-General  F.  V.  Greene  had  been 
assigned  to  the  military  forces  in  Manila,  thus  leaving  General  Merritt  free 
for  performing  the  duties  as  Military  Governor.  A  third  message  announced 
the  casualties  which  occurred  during  the  assault  on  Manila. 

The  articles  of  capitulation  show  that  only  the  city  and  defenses  of  Manila 
and  its  suburbs  were  included  in  the  surrender.  The  first  dispatches  an- 
nounced that  the  entire  Philippines  had  been  included  in  the  articles  of 
capitulation. 

Terms  of  Capitulation. 

The  cablegram  from  General  Merritt  giving  terms  of  the  capitulation  of 
Manila  is  as  follows  : 

"  Hong  Kong,  Aug.  20. — Adjutant- General,  Washington  :  The  following 
are  the  terms  of  capitulation : 

"  The  undersigned,  having  been  appointed  a  commission  to  determine 
the  details  of  the  capitulation  of  the  city  and  defenses  of  Manila  and  its 
suburbs  and  the  Spanish  forces  stationed  therein,  in  accordance  with  agree- 
ment entered  into  the  previous  day  by  Major-General  Wesley  Merritt,  U.  S.  A., 
American  commander-in-chief  in  the  Philippines,  and  his  Excellency,  Don 
Fermin  Jardenes,  acting  general-in-chief  of  the  Spanish  army  in  the  Philip- 
pines, have  agreed  upon  the  following : 

"  First.  The  Spanish  troops,  European  and  native,  capitulate  with  the 
city  and  defences,  with  all  honors  of  war,  depositing  their  arms  in  the  places 
designated  by  the  authorities  of  the  United  States  and  remaining  in  the 
Quarters  designated  under  the  orders  of  their  officers  and  subject  to  control 
of  the  aforesaid  United  States  authorities,  until  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of 
peace  between  the  two  belligerent  nations.  All  persons  included  in  the  capi- 
tulation remain  at  liberty ;  the  officers  remaining  in  their  respective  homes, 
which  shall  be  respected  as  long  as  they  observe  the  regulations  prescribed 
for  their  government  and  the  laws  in  force. 

"  2.  Officers  shall  retain  their  side  arms,  horses  and  private   property. 


DOWNFALL  OF  MANILA. 

All  public  horses  and  public  property  of  all  kinds  shall  be  turned  over  tc 
staff  officers  designated  by  the  United  States. 

"  3  Complete  returns  in  duplicate  of  men  in  organizations  and  full  lists 
of  public  property  and  stores  shall  be  rendered  to  the  United  States  within 
ten  days  from  this  date. 

''  4.  All  questions  relating  to  the  repatriation  of  officers  and  mer  of  the 
Spanish  forces  and  of  their  families  and  of  the  expenses  which  said  repatria- 
tion may  occasion  shall  be  referred  to  the  government  of  the  United  States 
at  Washington.  Spanish  families  may  leave  Manila  at  any  time  convenient 
to  them.  The  return  of  the  arms  surrendered  by  the  Spanish  forces  shall 
take  place  when  they  evacuate  the  city  or  when  the  American  army  evacuates. 

"  5.  Officers  and  men  included  in  the  capitulation  shall  be  supplied  by 
the  United  States,  according  to  their  rank,  with  rations  and  necessary  aid  as 
though  they  were  prisoners  of  war,  until  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain.  All  the  funds  in  the  Spanish  treasury  and 
all  other  public  funds  shall  be  turned  over  to  the  authorities  of  the  United  States. 

"6.  This  city,  its  inhabitants,  its  churches  and  re):gious  worship,  its 
educational  establishments  and  its  private  property,  of  all  description,  are 
placed  under  the  special  safeguard  of  the  faith  and  honor  of  the  American 
army.  (Signed)  "  F.  V.  GREENE, 

"  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers,  U.  S.  A." 

Additional  Particulars  of  the  Capture. 

Another  eye-witness  of  the  capture  of  Manila  furnished  some  interesting 
particulars  of  the  fight : 

11  The  Americans  moved  out  of  camp  early  on  the  morning  of  August 
13,  General  Anderson  directing  the  operations.  General  Greene  with  the 
left  wing  swept  along  upon  the  trenches  before  Malate.  General  MacArthur 
led  the  right  wing  with  the  Astor  Battery,  which  took  up  a  position  on  the 
right  of  the  Pasig  and  did  gallant  work.  One  instance  of  this  was  when  a 
Spanish  blockhouse  was  carried  by  men  using  their  revolvers.  The  only 
rapid-fire  gun  on  the  line  was  silenced  by  this  gallant  advance. 

"  Three  men  of  the  Astor  Battery  were  killed.  The  hardest  fighting  of 
the  day  was  done  at  a  point  on  the  right  wing  where  the  guns  of  the  fleet 
under  Fighting  Dewey  conld  give  no  assistance.  After  the  fleet  had  raked 
the  position  of  Malate,  the  Colorados,  supported  by  the  Eighteenth  Regulars 
and  the  Utah  Battery,  swept  it  with  the  deadliest  of  fires.  The  Spaniards 
fell  back  before  the  charging  Colorados,  who  followed  them  closely,  giving 
them  no  rest  until  the  position  was  ours,  and  the  American  flag  was  raised  by 
the  Californians,  who  had  been  charging  with  the  Colorados. 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA.  1?T 

"The  Californians,  who  were  subjected  to  a  galling  fire  from  Spanish 
sharpshooters  in  houses  on  the  right,  moved  past  the  Colorados  into  the 
suburb  of  Ermita,  where  Company  L,  which  was  leading,  engaged  in  hot 
fighting  along  Calle  Real,  where  the  Spaniards  had  erected  street  barricades. 
Once  Calle  Real  was  cleared,  the  attack  was  virtually  over.  About  noon  a 
white  flag  was  floating  over  the  city  walls.  The  Californians  advanced  at 
double-quick  across  Luneta  as  General  Greene  and  his  staff  arrived  to  receive 
the  surrender." 

One  Hour  in  Which  to  Surrender. 

From  another  trustworthy  account  we  extract  the  following  additional 
details : 

"  Admiral  Dewey  gave  General  Augusti  an  hour  in  which  to  surrender, 
at  the  time  of  the  last  demand,  made  on  Saturday.  General  Augusti  refused 
to  comply.  The  bombardment,  which  began  at  9.30  A.M.,  was  continued  for 
two  hours,  and  then  the  Americans  stormed  the  trenches,  sweeping  all  before 
them.  Those  within  the  walls  attempted  no  resistance.  The  First  Colorado 
Volunteers  stormed  the  outer  trenches  and  drove  the  Spaniards  into  the 
second  line  of  defenses.  Then  the  American  troops  swept  on,  driving  all  the 
Spaniards  into  the  inner  fortifications,  where  the  Spanish  commander,  seeing 
that  further  resistance  was  useless,  hoisted  the  white  flag  and  surrendered. 

"  The  Spaniards  in  the  trenches  probably  numbered  more  than  the  forces 
under  General  Merritt,  and  being  behind  breastworks  they  had  a  great  ad- 
vantage over  our  troops.  The  American  attacking  force  numbered  ten 
thousand,  and  the  Americans  were  better  armed,  better  trained  and  in  better 
condition.  The  foreign  fleets  watched  the  bombardment  with  acute  interest. 
The  American  warships  engaged  were  the  Olympia,  Petrel,  Raleigh,  McCul- 
loch,  Boston,  Monterey,  Baltimore  and  Charleston. 

"  The  Spaniards  assert  that  the  fire  of  the  Americans  for  the  most  part 
fell  short,  the  only  effective  fire  being  from  a  small  gunboat  armed  with  quick- 
firing  guns  that  was  close  inshore.  It  is  also  asserted  by  the  Spaniards  that 
'  the  Americans  lost  heavy  in  the  storming,  owing  to  the  faulty  construction 
of  their  entrenchments,  which  the  Spaniards  could  command  from  thq 
heights  and  upon  which  they  poured  a  galling  fire." 

"  The  Spanish  trench  extended  around  Manila  at  a  distance  of  from  two 
to  four  miles  from  the  walled  city,  forming  a  circle  ten  miles  in  circumference, 
and  it  was  impossible,  the  Spaniards  say,  to  hold  so  long  a  line  against  the 
American  attack.  Admiral  Dewey  and  General  Merritt,  it  is  reported,  had 
issued  orders  to  spare  all  except  armed  defenses  of  the  city,  and  consequently 
the  town  is  understood  to  have  been  but  little  damaged  Some  street  fighting 
12— D 


178  DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA. 

between  the  insurgents  and  the  Spaniards  has  occurred  on  the  outskirts,  bu' 
order  prevailed  within  the  walled  section." 

The  Manila  correspondent  of  the  Daily  Telegraph  telegraphing  Saturday 
says :  "  Nothing  could  be  more  humane  than  the  American  capture  of  the 
town.  General  Merritt  and  Admiral  Dewey's  plan  was  to  spare  every  object 
but  the  armed  defences  and  the  trenches.  Apparently  the  American  losses 
were  extremely  small.  The  Spanish  entrenchments  varied  in  point  of  dis- 
tance from  two  to  four  miles  from  the  centre  of  Old  Manila. 

"  Defending  this  long  line  of  at  least  ten  miles  were  not  over  12,000 
Spanish  regular  troops,  volunteers  and  natives.  About  half  that  number 
were  in  hospital.  The  attacking  force  numbered  several  thousand  natives 
and  nearly  10,000  Americans,  on  shore  and  aboard  the  fleet,  tiie  advantage 
being  on  the  side  of  the  attacking  party. 

"  The  American  field  guns  threw  heavier  metal,  and  had  longer  range 
than  the  Spanish,  the  marksmanship  of  the  United  States  gunners  was  much 
superior  to  that  of  the  Spaniards,  and  the  men  were  stronger  and  in  better 
condition.  The  Spaniards  are  a  small  race  compared  with  their  stalwart 
opponents,  and,  worn  out  by  a  hundred  days'  siege  and  disappointed  by  the 
failure  to  arrive  of  the  promised  Spanish  relief  squadron,  they  had  lost  heart. 
It  was  a  hopeless  struggle. 

Foreign  Ships  in  the  Harbor. 

"  Looking  over  the  bay  it  was  curious  to  notice  the  foreign  fleets  arrange 
themselves  according  to  their  sympathies.  The  English  and  Japanese  were 
near  the  Americans  and  the  Germans  and  French  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the 
bay  north  of  the  Pasig  river.  The  British  cruiser  Immortalite  and  her  con- 
sorts kept  fairly  near  the  American  line.  The  attacking  squadron  formed 
in  line  between  Malate  and  Old  Manila,  with  the  Concord  watching  the  fort 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig.  The  American  fleet  lay  outside  the  breakwater. 

"  The  Olympia  fired  the  first  shot  at  9.40,  and  a  fairly  continuous,  but  by 
no  means  furious,  cannonade  was  kept  up  until  11.20.  By  that  time  the 
Malate  Fort  was  silenced,  and  the  American  troops  then  stormed  the  intrench- 
ments.  The  Spaniards  who  were  in  the  earthworks  tell  me  that  the  quick- 
firing  guns  of  the  little  gunboat  Rapido,  which  lay  close  to  the  shore,  were 
far  more  terrible  in  their  effects  than  was  the  raking  fire  of  the  ships. 

"  Resistance  to  the  American  attack  was  impossible.  The  first  Colorado 
Regiment  was  the  earliest  to  charge  the  Spaniards,  who  retired  to  the  second 
line,  but  soon  outnumbered,  they  were  forced  into  the  old  city.  A  part  of 
Malate  suffered  severely  from  the  bombardment.  The  vaunted  intramures 
defenses  were  not  tri&<: 


DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA,  V/S 

"  The  Spanish  commander,  convinced  that  further  resistance  was  hope^ 
less,  hoisted  a  white  flag  at  1.30,  and  the  order  to  cease  firing  was  immediately 
issued  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  but  in  the  outskirts  street  fighting  continue^ 
for  some  time  afterwards  between  the  rebels  and  Spaniards.  The  only  fear 
felt  in  the  city  is  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  insurgents.  As  I  write  this 
in  the  house  of  the  German  Consul  a  brisk  fusillade  is  going  on  between  the 
combatants,  and  musketry  fire  is  rattling  all  around. 

"  The  achievements  of  our  army  and  navy  at  Manila  occasioned  a  great 
amount  of  comment  among  all  the  nations  of  the  globe.  The  remarkable 
shooting  of  the  American  gunners  opened  the  eyes  of  the  naval  men  of 
Europe.  It  convinced  the  nations  that  after  all  it  is  the  man  behind  the  gun, 
and  not  the  thickness  of  armor  or  the  estimated  horse  power  of  the  engines 
that  comprises  the  chief  defense  of  a  ship  in  a  naval  fight.  It  is  no  new  thing 
for  England  to  get  in  a  state  of  verging  on  panic  at  the  condition  of  her  navy, 
says  the  Military  Naval  Record.  Periodically  a  furious  onslaught  is  made  on 
the  naval  experts  and  admiralty  officials  by  some  member  of  Parliament  or 
cranky  taxpayer,  and  the  whole  country  trembles  at  the  idea  of  its  naval 
strength  having  been  over-estimated  or  willfully  misrepresented. 

Periodical  Scares  are  Useful. 

"  These  scares  are  useful,  for  they  usually  have  some  foundation  in  fectL 
and  serve  to  draw  out  columns  of  newspaper  articles  and  correspondence, 
which  in  the  end  result  in  improvement  and  the  allaying  of  the  chronic  fear 
of  the  taxpayers  that  they  are  footing  huge  bills  and  are  getting  nothing  stable 
for  the  defense  of  the  empire. 

"  A  new  scare  owed  its  origin  to  the  remarkable  accuracy  and  deadliness 
of  the  American  gunners.  Britons  were  comparing  the  records  made  at 
Manila  with  the  scoring  during  the  practice  fire  of  the  British  crews,  and  were 
asking  with  a  good  deal  of  feverish  apprehension  where  their  own  gunners 
come  in.  This  started  a  mass  of  correspondence  and  special  articles  on  the 
subject  of  naval  gunnery  and  naval  training,  and  the  subjects  of  the  Queen 
were  learning  to  their  dismay  that  very  little,  if  any,  importance  was  attached 
to  the  training  of  the  gunners  of  what  was  supposed  to  be  the  first  navy  in 
the  world.  Among  the  numerous  contributions  on  the  subject  the  most  start- 
ling was  that  of  a  prominent  naval  officer,  who  knows  whereof  he  speaks,  and 
whose  clear-cut  statements  caused  a  sensation. 

"According  to  this  authority,  the  gunnery  practice  in  her  Majesty's  navy 
is  regarded  rather  more  as  a  necessary  evil  than  as  a  duty  th>t,  (or  the  good 
of  the  service,  should  be  of  first-place  importance.  Here  is  his  calm  state- 
ment regarding  the  gunnery  practice  in  the  royal  navy : 


M  DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA. 

*  It  is  a  usual  thing  for  the  signal  to  be  made,  '  Spread  for  target  prac- 
tice ;  rejoin  by  such  and  such  a  time/  the  consequence  being  the  practice  is 
tarried  out  in  a  hurried,  panicky  way,  without  sufficient  supervision  or  cor- 
recting of  errors  made,  in  order  to  '  get  it  over/  Who  has  not  heard  some- 
thing like  the  following  :  '  Why  don't  you  fire  that  gun  ?  *  '  Can't  see  the 
target,  sir.'  '  Never  mind  that ;  fire  at  the  splash.'  Bang  !  And  away  goes 
pounds  and  pounds  of  the  unfortunate  ratepayer's  money  into  the  sea. 

"  The  allowance  of  ammunition  is  very  small,  only  eight  rounds  a  quar- 
ter being  allowed  for  such  guns  as  a  4.7  or  6-inch  quick  firing  gun,  ten  rounds 
for  the  lighter  quick  firing,  and  four  rounds  for  the  1 2-inch  wire  and  upward. 
The  allowance  for  the  heavy  quick  firing  represents  four  rounds  each  for  Nos. 
I  and  2,  or  less  than  a  minute's  firing  once  every  three  months.  If,  in  addi- 
tion, this  allowance  is  exceeded  when  prize  firing  (when  the  number  of  rounds 
fired  in  the  two  minutes  allowed  is  unlimited),  the  amount  fired  in  excess  of 
the  allowance  has  to  be  deducted  from  the  next  quarter's  allowance,  or  sup- 
pose a  smart  4.7  gun's  crew  fire  sixteen  rounds  which  they  should  do  in  two 
minutes,  they  get  no  more  practice  for  six  months,  which  is,  as  Euclid  would 
say,  absurd. 

Long  Practice  Required. 

"  Out  of  the  ten  rounds  allowed  for  the  light  firing  guns  has  to  come  the 
amount  fired  from  these  guns  in  boats,  likewise  the  amount  fired  in  night 
practice,  which  leaves  about  four  rounds  for  No.  I  to  fire  at  his  quarter's 
practice.  It  is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  hard  to  train  a  man  to  pick  up  his  range 
quickly,  and  keep  it  on  such  allowance,  which  might  well  be  doubled;  and,  if 
expended  in  an  intelligent  way,  the  increased  proficiency  would  well  repay 
the  extra  expense  in  wear  and  tear  of  ammunition.  The  four  rounds  per 
heavy  turret  gun  give  four  rounds  to  the  captain  of  the  turret  and  two  to  the 
captain  of  each  gun,  no  other  man  of  the  turret's  crew  getting  a  chance. 

"  In  addition  to  the  ammunition  proper,  however,  the  admiralty  allows  an 
jmmense  amount  of  tube  cannon  ammunition,  which  is  intended  for  the  indi- 
vidual instruction  of  untrained  or  partially  trained  men,  and  should  be  expended 
as  such.  It  is,  however,  too  frequently  fired  at  the  same  time  as  the  heavy  gun 
practice  takes  place,  with  every  available  tube  going  at  once,  for  the  same  old 
story,  to  '  get  it  done.'  The  range  suitable  for  heavy  gun  practice  is,  of  course, 
quite  out  of  the  range  for  tube  cannon,  while  from  the  number  of  guns  going 
it  once  no  man  can  see  what  his  shots  are  doing,  and  individual  supervision 
becomes  impossible;  the  result  is  a  man  comes  up  to  his  gun,  blazes  away  his 
ten  rounds  or  so  with  a  fixed  sight,  which  is  probably  wrong,  and  departs  as 
wise  as  he  started. 

"  If  the  admiralty  and   admirals  inspecting  paid  any  attention  to  the 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA.  181 

gunnery  efficiency  of  the  ships  in  commission  they  would  compel  the  captains 
and  officers  to  develop  that  efficiency  to  the  utmost  of  their  power,  and 
establish  a  healthy  rivalry.  At  present  in  the  Mediterranean  far  more  trouble 
and  time  are  expended  on  rilling  the  chase  of  a  gun  bright  and  burnishing  it 
(which  is  absolutely  contrary  to  regulations)  than  to  insuring  that  the  men 
are  well  trained  in  the  use  of  it. " 

i  These  criticisms  were  severe  enough,  but  the  officer  quoted  went  even 
further.  He  declared  that  returns  of  the  practice  at  the  targets  were  "  fudged," 
or,  in  other  words,  the  figures  were  given  as  first  class,  when  in  reality  the 
practice  had  been  abominable,  thus  deceiving  the  admiralty  officials  and 
giving  the  British  public  an  entirely  erroneous  idea  of  the  skill  of  their  sea- 
men gunners. 

It  would  be  thought  that  such  a  suggestion  as  that  crews  sent  out  to 
practice  with  small  guns  at  points  distant  from  the  ship,  throw  the  ammuni- 
tion overboard  to  save  the  trouble  of  firing  it,  and  return  to  the  ship  with  the 
report  that  so  many  points  had  been  made,  would  not  be  put  forward  in  sober 
earnest,  but  a  writer  actually  states  gravely  that  "  he  does  not  think  this  is 
done  now,"  but  he  goes  on  to  say  that  the  ammunition  might  almost  as  well 
be  thrown  overboard  as  used  in  the  way  it  is  for  practice  in  the  royal  navy 
to-day. 

The  First  Hit  May  Win  the  Action. 

To  sum  up  the  matter  in  the  language  of  the  expert  referred  to,  after 
viewing  the  great  victory  at  Manila,  he  says : 

"It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  ship  that  gets  in  the  first  hit  stands  a  50 
per  cent,  better  chance  of  winning  the  action  than  when  she  started ;  a  ship 
that  could  make  certain  of  50  per  cent,  hits  under  ordinary  conditions  of 
weather  at  a  range  of  2,500  yards,  and  inside,  could  cheerfully  engage  three 
mobilized  vessels  with  scratch  crews." 

The  following  additional  details  of  the  fighting  before  Manila,  are  furnished 
by  a  correspondent  who  was  on  the  ground,  in  fact  was  at  the  front,  and  was 
an  eye-witness  of  what  he  describes : 

"  The  insurgents  make  war  in  such  an  original  and  interesting  w^y  that 
a  visit  to  the  front  of  their  lines  is  well  worth  the  time  and  trouble,  as  well  as 
slight  danger.  At  this  writing  I  am  only  250  yards  from  the  Spanish 
trenches,  behind  which  1000  men  are  stationed,  armed  with  the  best  Mauser 
rifles.  '  Ping '  just  went  a  bullet  through  the  foliage  overhead.  '  Ping/ 
'  Pmg/  '  Pmg/  go  three  more  in  succession,  one  striking  the  limb  of  a  white 
gum  tree  about  three  feet  over  our  heads.  These  shots  made  us  realize  the 
danger  of  exposing  ourselves  to  the  Spanish  sharpshooters,  and  yet  showed 
that  if  we  kept  behind  the  earthworks  we  were  comparatively  safe. 


182  DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA. 

"  As  we  approached  the  advanced  line  of  the  insurgents  a  young  boy, 
passing  along  the  road,  which  we  were  about  to  take,  was  shot  through  the 
hand  with  a  Mauser  bullet,  which  had  nearly  spent  its  force,  but  made  a 
wicked  wound  and  lodged  against  a  bone  of  the  fingers.  Some  one  sug- 
gested that  the  Spaniards  had  seen  us  from  the  walls  of  the  fort  and  were 
getting  our  range,  so  without  further  argument  we  hurried  up  the  road  to  the 
next  and  last  barricade.  This  stretch  of  highway,  the  main  one  leading  out 
of  Manila,  is  really  dangerous  for  passersby. 

"  When  we  came  up  to  the  last  barricade  we  found  in  a  bunch  of  thick 
bamboos  a  bastion,  erected  by  the  insurgents  for  the  use  of  big  guns  in  bom- 
barding the  forts.  From  the  hidden  top  of  this,  about  eight  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  ground,  we  could  plainly  make  out  the  Spanish  trenches,  directly 
in  front  of  us,  with  rifle  barrels  barely  projecting  above  the  earth  and  occa- 
sionally a  hat  in  outline  as  a  man  moved  from  one  spot  to  another. 

Old  Port  and  Magazine. 

"  Behind  this,  about  100  yards,  was  the  old  stone  fort  and  magazine,  from 
the  embrasured  top  of  which  a  few  cannons  protruded.  The  trenches  ran  at 
right  angles  to  the  road,  along  which  we  had  come,  and  across  an  open  field 
in  a  grove  of  bamboos  and  then  across  another  spread  of  meadow  land  to  a 
fringe  of  trees  on  the  shore  of  the  bay,  finally  ending  on  the  beach,  where  a 
big  barricade  of  canoes,  filled  with  sand,  made  an  adequate  protection. 

"  Although  warned  by  the  general,  Mariano  Noriel,  and  his  lieutenant- 
colonel,  Juan  Cailles,  who  had  kindly  accompanied  us  up  to  the  last  danger 
point,  that  we  would  surely  be  fired  upon  by  the  Spaniards  if  we  crossed  the 
open  fields  without  wading  in  the  trenches,  half-filled  with  the  water  of 
recent  rains,  we  braved  the  supposed  danger  and  reached  the  fringe  of  woods 
on  the  bay  side  without  apparently  being  seen. 

"  Before  we  left  we  made  a  careful  survey  with  our  glasses  of  the  Spanish 
lines  and  forts,  so  that  we  could  report  in  full  to  Admiral  Deweyand  General 
Anderson  what  we  had  seen.  Up  to  this  time  no  naval  or  military  officer  of 
the  United  States  has  made  this  trip,  and  hence  we  are  able  to  make  the  first 
reliable  report. 

"  To  my  mind  it  would  seem  that  the  best  and  only  thing  for  the 
Spaniards  to  do  as  a  matter  of  warfare  would  be  to  send  a  party  of  200  men 
around  on  the  flank,  and,  surprising  the  insurgents,  gather  them  in  as  pris- 
oners, or  shoot  them  in  their  tracks.  As  this  letter  will  in  all  probability  not 
reach  America  and  be  published  until  the  fate  of  Manila  is  settled,  I  am  at 
iberty  to  discuss  these  points. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  rebels  fight  so  bravely  when  attacked  that  the 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA.  183 

Spaniards  are  afraid  to  fight  them  except  on  the  defensive.  The  men  we 
meet  in  the  trenches  are  mild  in  appearance,  polite  in  manner  and  gentle  in 
Tiovement,  but,  I  understand,  skillful  wielders  of  the  bolo  or  native  knife  at 
close  quarters  and  not  bad  marksmen  with  rifles  when  trained.  When  I 
questioned  General  Noriel  about  methods  of  fighting  he  said  that  he 
instructed  his  men  not  to  waste  their  ammunition  and  fire  only  when  they 
could  do  some  damage." 

General  MacArthur's  Report. 

The  report  of  Major-General  Arthur  MacArthur,  who  commanded  tn$ 
First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Eighth  Army  Corps,  on  the  day  of  the  battle 
of  Manila,  gives  some  interesting  details  of  the  fight.  Following  arc  some 
extracts : 

"  Several  hours  before  the  operations  of  the  day  were  intended  to  com- 
mence there  was  considerable  desultory  firing  from  the  Spanish  line,  both  o/ 
cannon  and  small  arms,  provoked  no  doubt  by  Filipino  soldiers,  who  insisted 
upon  maintaining  a  general  fusillade  along  their  lines.  Their  fire  was  not 
returned  by  our  troops,  and  when  the  formation  of  the  day  was  commenced 
things  at  the  front  were  comparatively  quiet. 

"  By  8  o'oclock  the  position  was  occupied,  about  9.35  the  naval  attack 
commenced,  and  some  twenty  minutes  thereafter  the  gun  of  Battery  B,  Utta 
Artillery,  opened  on  Blockhouse  14,  the  guns  of  the  Astor  Battery  having 
engaged  an  opposing  battery  some  minutes  after  the  opening  of  the  naval 
attack.  There  was  no  reply  from  the  blockhouse  or  contiguous  lines,  either 
by  guns  or  small  arms.  The  opposition  to  the  Astor  fire,  however,  was  quite 
energetic ;  but  after  a  spirited  contest  the  opposition,  consisting  probably  of 
two  pieces,  was  silenced. 

"This  contest  was  the  only  notable  feature  of  the  first  stage  of  the  action 
and  was  especially  creditable  to  the  organization  engaged.  The  position, 
selected  by  Lieutenant  March,  after  careful  personal  reconnoissance,  was  pet- 
haps  the  only  one  possible  in  the  vicinity,  and  it  was  occupied  with  great 
skill  and  held  with  commendable  firmness,  the  battery  losing  three  men 
wounded,  one  of  whom  has  since  died. 

"At  about  1 1. 20  a  United  States  flag  was  placed  upon  Blockhouse  14, 
thus  concluding  the  second  stage  of  the  action  without  opposition  and  with- 
out loss. 

"The  general  advance  was  soon  resumed.  At  a  point  just  south  of 
Singalong  a  blockhouse  was  found  burning,  causing  a  continuous  explosion 
of  small  arms  ammunition,  which  together  with  a  scattering  fire  from  ths? 
*memy,  retarded  the  advance  for  a  time.  All  difficulties  were  soon  overcome, 


184  DOWNFALL  OF   MANILA. 

however,  including  the  passage  of  the  Astor  Battery,  by  the  determined 
efforts  of  Lieutenant  March  and  his  men,  assisted  by  the  infantry  of  the  Min« 
nesota  Regiment  over  the  gun  emplacement  which  obstructed  the  road. 

"  In  the  village  of  Singalong  the  advance  fell  under  a  loose  fire,  the 
intensity  of  which  increased  as  the  forward  movement  was  pressed,  and  very 
soon  the  command  was  committed  to  a  fierce  combat.  The  strong  opposi- 
tion ar®se  at  Blockhouse  20,  of  the  Spanish  defenses. 

"  The  advance  party,  consisting  of  men  of  the  Minnesota  Regiment, 
reinforced  by  volunteers  from  the  Astor  Battery,  led  by  Lieutenant  March 
and  Captain  Sawtelle,  of  the  brigade  staff,  as  an  individual  volunteer,  reached 
a  point  within  less  than  eighty  yards  of  the  blockhouse,  but  was  obliged  to 
retire  to  the  intersecting  road  in  the  village,  at  which  point  a  hasty  work  was 
improvised  and  occupied  by  a  firing  line  of  about  fifteen  men.  Aside  from 
conspicuous  individual  actions  in  the  first  rush,  the  well-regulated  conduct  of 
this  firing  line  was  the  marked  feature  of  the  contest,  and  it  is  proposed,  \i 
possible,  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the  men  engaged  with  a  view  to  recom- 
mend them  for  special  distinction. 

"At  about  1.30  P.  M.  all  firing  had  ceased,  and  two  scouting  parties 
voluntarily  led  by  Captain  Sawtelle  and  Lieutenant  March  soon  thereafter 
reported  the  retreat  of  the  adversary.  The  city  was  entered  without  further 

incident." 

Details  of  the  Surrender. 

From  another  account  of  the  capture  of  Manila  we  gather  the  following 
additional  particulars :  "  The  Second  Oregon  patrolled  the  walled  city  and 
guarded  its  nine  entrances.  General  Greene  marched  his  brigade  around  the 
walled  city  into  Binondo.  The  First  California  was  sent  east  to  the  fashion- 
able official  residence  district  of  Malacanay,  the  First  Colorado  was  sent  into 
Tondo,  and  the  First  Nebraska  was  established  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Pasig 
River ;  MacArthur's  brigade  patrolled  Ermita  and  Malate. 

"  In  the  walled  city  the  Spaniards  had  surrendered  their  arms  at  the 
governor's  palace.  By  nightfall  over  7,000  rifles  had  been  surrendered,  and 
by  the  following  evenincr  nearly  1,000  more  were  turned  in.  The  big  Ameri- 
can flag  was  hoisted  by  Lieutenant  Brumby,  and  as  the  Oregonians  entered 
from  the  Kwonghoi  the  afternoon  of  the  fight  their  band  struck  up  '  The 
Star  Spangled  Banner.'  The  women  wept  as  the  Spanish  ensign  went  down, 
and  the  soldiers  cheered  as  the  American  flag  went  up. 

"  The  night  of  the  battle  was  quiet.     Except  for  a  few  cases  reported  of 
the  insurgents  looting  the  houses  of  Spaniards,  there  was  no  disorder.     The 
American  soldiers  at  once  began  to  fraternize  with  the  Spanish   soldiers, 
Terms  of  capitulation  were  agreed  upon  promptly  between  American  and 


DOWNFALL   OF   MANILA.  185 

Spanish  commanders,  and  the  occupation  of  the  Spanish  capital  of  the  Philip- 
pines was  complete. 

''General  Merritt's  first  great  task  after  that  of  safely  transporting  an 
army  across  the  Pacific  was  accomplished.  His  own  report  is  but  a  just 
appreciation  of  the  excellence  of  the  work  done  by  his  men.  Its  expressions 
of  approval  are  no  warmer  than  those  given  to  General  Merritt  himself  by 
those  who  know  his  work.  It  closed  as  follows  : 

"  Immediately  after  the  surrender  the  Spanish  colors  on  the  sea  front 
were  hauled  down  and  the  American  flag  displayed  and  saluted  by  the  guns 
of  the  navy.  The  Second  Oregon  Regiment,  which  had  proceeded  by  sea 
from  Cavite,  was  disembarked  and  entered  the  walled  town  as  a  provost 
guard,  and  the  colonel  was  directed  to  receive  the  Spanish  arms  and  deposit 
them  in  places  of  security.  The  town  was  filled  with  the  troops  of  the  enemy 
driven  in  from  the  entrenchments,  regiments  formed  and  standing  in  line  in 
the  streets,  but  the  work  of  disarming  proceeded  quietly  and  nothing  unpleas- 
ant occurred. 

Warm  Praise  for  Our  Soldiers. 

"  In  leaving  the  subject  of  the  operations  of  the  1 3th  I  desire  here  to 
record  my  appreciation  of  the  admirable  manner  in  which  the  orders  for 
attack  and  the  plan  for  occupation  of  the  city  were  carried  out  by  the  troops 
exactly  as  contemplated.  I  submit  that  for  troops  to  enter  under  fire  a  town 
covering  a  wide  area,  to  rapidly  deploy  and  guard  all  principal  points  in  the 
extensive  suburbs,  to  keep  out  the  insurgent  forces  pressing  for  admission,  to 
quietly  disarm  an  army  of  Spaniards  more  than  equal  in  number  to  the 
American  troops,  and  finally  by  all  this  to  prevent  entirely  all  rapine,  pillage, 
and  disorder,  and  gain  entire  and  complete  possession  of  a  city  of  300,000 
people  filled  with  natives  hostile  to  the  European  interests,  and  stirred  up  by 
the  knowledge  that  their  own  people  were  fighting  in  the  outside  trenches, 
was  an  act  which  only  the  law-abiding,  temperate,  resolute  American  soldier, 
well  and  skillfully  handled  by  his  regimental  and  brigade  commanders,  could 
accomplish." 

The  American  army  was  encamped  where  most  available  for  service  in 
the  event  of  any  sort  of  an  uprising  or  other  emergency  call.  The  command- 
ing general  assigned  various  officers  of  his  staff  to  civic  duties  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  new  regime.  Spaniards,  Americans  and  Filipinos  dwelt  side  by  side 
in  a  measure  of  peace  and  harmony.  Major-General  Merritt  issued  a  pro- 
clamation to  the  people  informing  them  that  his  intention  was  to  protect  them 
in  all  their  rights.  There  remained  only  the  necessity  of  waiting  for  peace 
to  be  declared  to  end  all  difficulties.  But  the  Filipinos  were  yet  to  be  reck- 
oned with. 


186  DOWNFALL   OF  MANILA. 

Major-General  Wesley  Merritt's  selection  as  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Philippines  expedition  and  governor-general  of  the  Philippine  Islands  was 
universally  approved.  In  the  Civil  War  they  called  General  Merritt  a  "  boy 
brigadier."  This  was  because  of  his  youth,  of  course,  and  the  title  was 
never  applied  with  a  sneer,  for  Merritt  was  understood  to  be  brave  and  capa- 
ble from  the  day  he  was  graduated  at  West  Point.  There  were  three  others 
in  the  Union  army  who  were  also  called  "  boy  brigadiers  " — Custer,  McKenzie 
and  Upton — and  they  were  often  referred  to  as  the  "  youthful  quartette." 

In  the  Civil  War  General  Merritt  began  as  adjutant  of  the  Second  Dra- 
goons, under  Colonel  Philip  St.  George  Cook.  Just  before  the  Battle  of 
Gettysburg,  because  of  his  quick  military  perception  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  cavalry  arm,  he  was  made  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  General 
Sheridan  later  was  well  pleased  with  the  nerve,  dash  and  courage  of  the  boy 
brigadier,  and  the  two  became  close  personal  and  military  friends.  At  Win- 
chester Merritt  fought  a  division  under  Sheridan's  eye,  so  to  speak,  and  fought 
so  well  that  Sheridan  recommended  the  brevet  of  major-general,  which  was 
promptly  allowed.  From  that  time  till  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  one  of  the 
busiest  and  most  successful  fighters  in  the  Union  army,  and  he  came  out  a 
full  major-general  of  volunteers. 

Afte.'  the  war  he  served  in  the  Department  of  Texas,  and  later  in  the 
military  Division  of  the  Gulf.  In  1866  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer 
service  and  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  He  was  afterward 
busy  fighting  Indians  and  on  other  duties.  In  1895  he  became  a  major- 
general  of  the  Regular  Army. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Capture   of    the    City  of    Manila   by    Admiral    Dewey   and 

General  Merritt. 

WO  weeks  after  the  fight  in  the  trenches  at  Malate,  or  to  be  exact,; 
on  Saturday,  August  1 3th,  Manila  surrendered,  before  either  the1 
American  or  Spanish  commanders  had  received  any  news  of  the 
peace  protocol.  This  fact  was  to  figure  afterwards  in  the  peace 
negotiations.  For  an  hour,  Admiral  Dewey  bombarded  the  city,  while  the 
army  under  General  Mer- 
ritt, drove  the  enemy  into 
the  town.  The  story  of 
the  day  is  graphically  told 
in  the  following  extract 
from  a  letter  written  by  a 
staff  officer,  who  was  very 
active  in  the  advance,  to 
his  wife,  giving  her  an 
account  of  his  personal 
doings. 

It  gives  also  a  very 
clear  picture  of  the  work 
done  by  our  men,  of  the 
way  in  which  the  city  was 
entered,  and  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  insur- 
gents were  dealt  with.  It 
recounts  the  observations 
as  well  as  the  acts  of  a 
trained  army  officer,  who, 
as  aide  to  General  Greene, 
was  obliged  to  go  over  very  much  of  the  ground,  and  was  therefore  in  posi- 
tion to  see  probably  more  of  the  day's  work  than  any  other  one  man: 

"  Two  days  before  I  had  made  my  reconnoissance  of  the  position  in  out 
front  and  accurately  located  the  cannon  in  the  defences.  One  of  them  pointed 
directly  up  the  beach  on  the  edge  of  the  bay,  and  this  one  we  were  unable  to 
see  with  glasses  on  the  morning  of  the  bombardment.  \s  General  Babcock 
was  wondering  whether  it  was  still  there,  I  offered  to  go  down  and  again  re- 

187 


GENERAL  WESLEY  MERRITT. 


188  SURRENDER   OF   MANILA. 

connoitre  the  position  to  ascertain  with  certainty  whether  the  cannon 
been  removed.  I  started  down  the  beach,  concealing  myself  in  the  brush  on 
the  way,  and  had  approached  nearly  to  the  river,  when  the  bombardment 
suddenly  opened  from  the  ships.  All  the  shells  fell  short,  and  as  they  struck 
the  water  they  ricocheted  and  whistled  over  my  head  in  such  number  that  I 
was  compelled  to  retreat  about  100  yards  in  order  to  get  out  of  the  line  of 
fire.  A  slight  lull  then  ensued  in  the  firing,  and  I  returned  to  my  former 
position,  not  having  had  a  chance  to  use  my  field-glasses  while  there  first. 

"  A  second  time  the  ships  opened  fire,  and  the  shells,  again  falling  short, 
drove  me  from  my  position,  but  I  returned  a  third  time  and  finished  the  re- 
connoissance,  then  ran  back  to  our  trenches,  reporting  to  General  Babcock 
that  the  gun  had  been  removed.  I  also  made  this  report  to  General  Greene, 
and  he  said  :  '  No,  you  are  mistaken ;  the  gun  is  still  there.  I  can  see  from 
here  about  eight  feet  of  it/  and  he  pointed  out  the  place  to  me.  Raising  my 
glasses,  I  thought,  sure  enough,  there  is  the  gun.  On  our  arrival  at  the 
trench,  however,  after  the  assault,  I  found  the  gun  General  Greene  and  I 
thought  we  saw  was  a  bent  piece  of  corrugated  iron  lying  in  such  a  fashion 
on  top  of  the  trench  as  to  closely  resemble  a  cannon  a  thousand  yards  away. 

"  During  the  early  part  of  the  bombardment  I  climbed  to  a  site  on  the 
flat  tin  roof  of  a  white  house,  through  which  our  trench  ran,  and  from  there 
could  plainly  see  and  report  to  the  gunners  the  effect  of  the  shots  from  our 
three  2-inch  rifles,  which  were  being  served  by  the  Utah.  Light  Battery.  They 
did  excellent  shooting  and  much  execution  on  the  fort,  but  the  principal 
damage  was  done  by  two  large-sized  shells  landed  square  in  the  fort  by  gun- 
ners from  the  fleet.  They  created  havoc  and  must  have  killed  and  wounded 

many  Spaniards. 

Race  for  a  Spanish  Flag. 

"  Seeing  two  companies  of  the  Colorado  regiment  ordered  to  advance 
from  the  trenches,  I  hastily  descended  and  joined  them.  After  advancing 
about  a  hundred  yards  or  so  this  line  concealed  itself  behind  good  cover  to 
await  the  bombardment  from  the  ships  to  grow  less  dangerous.  Pretty  soon, 
however,  we  were  ordered  to  advance,  and  I,  accompanied  by  three  citizens, 
led  the  line  through  the  brush.  We  stopped  once  more  about  350  yards 
from  the  enemy's  position  and  fired  a  number  of  volleys.  We  then  made  a 
rush  across  the  mouth  of  a  small  river  which  separated  us  from  the  powder 
magazine  at  Malate.  We  then  stopped  on  the  further  side  of  the  stream,  the 
men  lying  down  behind  cover,  and  very  shortly  the  rest  of  the  Colorado  regi* 
ment  began  to  advance  in  our  rear  in  support. 

"  As  we  neared  the  fort  I  was  anxious  to  be  the  first  to  arrive  and  take 
down  the  Spanish  flag  as  a  trophy  for  you;  so  when  the  advance  began 


SURRENDER  OF   MANILA.  189 

again  I,  accompanied  by  the  three  citizens,  rushed  forward  in  advance  of  the 
line,  but  it  halted  again,  and  the  Colonel  called  us  back,  as  he  desired  to  fire 
some  volleys  before  approaching  nearer.  We  reluctantly  returned  to  the 
rear  of  the  line,  which  just  at  that  time  began  another  advance,  and  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of  the  regiment  (McCoy)  ran  ahead  of  his  line,  and  getting 
the  start  of  me  beat  me  into  the  fort  and  secured  the  flag  for  his  regiment. 

"  As  I  ran  up  on  the  parapet  I  noticed  a  very  pretty  little  trumpet  lying 
on  the  bed  in  a  small  room  and  I  seized  that  and  several  machetes  (called 
bolas  by  the  natives  here)  as  trophies.  Lying  under  a  small  nipa  shed  be- 
hind the  fort  was  a  poor  Spaniard  badly  wounded  in  the  head  and  still 
breathing.  I  called  him  to  the  attention  of  the  first  hospital  corps  man  I 
saw  and  continued  in  rapid  advance  with  the  line. 

"  As  we  proceeded  from  the  fort  back  to  a  building  which  had  been  oc- 
cupied as  a  barracks  by  the  officers,  we  came  under  such  a  heavy  fire  from  the 
enemy  that  the  men  took  to  the  trenches  and  stopped  to  return  the  fire.  I 
kept  on  to  the  house  and  there  captured  some  valuable  papers,  among  them 
one  document  which  earned  for  a  small  native  boy  a  reward  of  $25,  a  fee  I 
had  promised  him  on  the  contingency  that  certain  information  he  gave  me 
should  be  found  to  be  correct.  This  was  a  very  bright  boy  who  came  into 
my  camp  several  weeks  ago  peddling  cigars.  He  said  that  his  father  was  an 
American  who  had  now  left  the  country  and  he  was  living  with  his  mother, 
a  native  woman,  in  Manila. 

Some  Lively  Firing. 

"  He  spoke  Spanish  fluently,  and  so  I  questioned  him  to  know  if  he 
thought  he  could  bring  me  certain  information  I  was  desirous  of  obtaining. 
He  thought  he  could,  and  returning  to  Manila,  came  back  in  four  days  with 
just  what  I  wanted.  I  paid  him  liberally,  and  then  sent  him  again  to  count 
the  number  of  Spaniards  who  served  in  the  trench  immediately  in  our  front. 
He  came  back  with  a  report  that  there  were  seven  trenches,  served  by  about 
fifty  Spaniards  each,  with  a  certain  number  of  guns.  Knowing  the  trench 
was  a  continuous  one,  I  considered  his  information  valueless  and  thought  he 
was  trying  to  play  a  native  trick  on  me,  so  paid  him  nothing.  When  I  cap- 
tured the  paper  I  discovered  that  the  Spaniards  themselves  had  divided  thisj 
continuous  trench  into  seven  parts,  numbering  them  from  one  to  seven,  and 
that  the  regular  garrison  of  these  trenches  was  as  the  boy  had  stated,  about 
fifty  men  each.  Why  they  should  so  divide  a  continuous  trench  I  cannot 
see,  but  they  did.  The  number  of  cannon  he  had  reported  was  exactly  right. 

"  While  I  was  at  this  house  there  was  considerable  skirmishing  between 
our  men  and  the  enemy,  and  a  poor  fellow  of  the  Colorado  regiment  was  shot 


190  SURRENDER   OF   MANILA. 

in  the  neck  as  he  stood  near  me  and  has  since  died.  Hearing  some  Mauser 
rifles  popping  behind  a  wall  I  got  a  Captain  of  the  California  regiment  to 
have  his  men  hold  their  guns  at  arm's  length  above  the  wall  and  discharge 
them  into  the  yard  beyond  to  drive  the  Spaniards  away.  They  were  making 
it  uncomfortably  waim  for  men  on  our  side  who  were  approaching  along  the 
beach  from  the  rear.  The  California  regiment  at  this  point  passed  the  Colo- 
rado regiment  and  took  the  advance.  Joining  the  California  regiment  I 
proceeded  down  the  street  with  it  and  saw  Sam  Widdifield's  squad  (he  is  a 
corporal)  very  gallantly  advance  on  the  run  and  drive  some  Spaniards  out  oi 
a  yard  who  ha<^  been  firing  on  our  men  approaching  on  the  left. 

"  Engleskjon,  General  Babcock's  orderly,  had  gone  back  for  our  horses, 
which  we  left  in  the  rear,  but  not  being  able  to  wait  I  borrowed  a  captured 
horse  and  soon  wore  him  out  carrying  messages  for  General  Babcock  and 
General  Greene.  All  this  time  I  was  galloping  around  the  streets  of  Malate 
(that  suburb  of  Manila  through  which  we  were  then  advancing)  in  which  our 
men  were  skirmishing  with  the  enemy.  I  requested  Colonel  Smith  of  the 
California  regiment  to  leave  a  small  guard  over  every  house  flying  the  Eng- 
lish flag,  which  he  did.  The  English  have  been  very  friendly  to  us  in  this 
war,  and  I  wanted  to  see  the  compliment  returned. 

Insurgents  Open  Fire. 

"  I  returned  and  reported  to  General  Greene  for  duty.  He  immediately 
directed  me  to  ride  to  the  front,  and,  selecting  a  patrol  of  ten  men  from  the 
California  regiment,  to  advance  upon  the  walled  city,  reconnoitre  it  and  see 
whether  they  would  fire  on  me.  As  Engleskjon  just  then  returned  With  my 
horse  I  got  on  it,  and  taking  him  with  me  we  galloped  to  the  front  to  make 
the  reconnoissance ;  but  just  as  we  came  out  on  the  Lunetta,  an  open  space 
between  the  walled  city  and  Malate,  one  company  of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry 
debouched  from  Malate  along  the  beach  and  the  First  Battalion  of  the  Cali- 
fornia regiment  came  out  of  the  streets  of  Malate  onto  this  open  space.  I 
followed  them,  and  before  we  reached  the  walls  of  the  city  we  observed  a  white 
flag  flying  on  its  corner.  They  marched  to  the  street  which  encircles  the 
wall,  called  the  Calle  de  Bagumbayan,  and  there  halted. 

"As  soon  as  we  had  seen  the  white  flag  I  had  sent  Engleskjon  to  report 
the  fact  to  General  Greene,  and  after  we  had  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  wall 
I  returned  myself  and  reported  to  him  that  the  enemy  had  ceased  firing 
General  Greene's  orders  required  him  to  march  around  the  walled  city  and 
take  possession  of  the  suburbs  across  the  river  on  the  other  side.  Before 
starting  back  myself  I  directed  the  halted  troops,  by  his  order,  to  move  about 
a  half  mile  around  toward  the  river  and  then  halt  to  await  further  orders 


SURRENDER   OF   MANILA.  191 

from  him.  They  did  move  down  opposite  the  road  which  leads  up  to  the 
walled  city  from  a  small  town  in  the  country  called  Santa  Ana.  It  had  been 
our  whole  plan  entirely  to  prevent  the  insurgents  from  getting  into  the  city, 
in  order  to  protect  the  inhabitants  and  houses  against  their  looting  propensi- 
ties, but  at  Santa  Ana  a  number  of  insurgents,  seeing  the  Spanish  falling  back, 
had  been  too  quick  for  our  troops  and  had  approached  the  walled  city  from 
that  direction. 

"  Coming  up  within  rifle  range  they  began  to  fire  indiscriminately  at  our 
troops  (who  had  halted  between  them  and  the  Spaniards)  and  at  the  Spaniards 
behind  them.  This  caused  the  Spaniards  to  return  the  fire  and  for  a  few 
minutes  here  stood  our  helpless  troops  (four  companies  of  the  California  regi- 
ment) between  two  fires,  knowing  there  had  been  an  error  and  powerless  to 
correct  it.  They  deserve  much  credit  for  being  cool  enough  not  to  return  the 
fire  on  either  party,  for  such  an  action  might  have  precipitated  what  could 
have  been  nothing  but  a  bloody  and  useless  carnage. 

"  During  this  firing  three  men  were  wounded  and  one  shot  in  the  head 
so  badly  that  he  died  soon  afterward.  The  others  were  not  severely  wounded, 
one  being  shot  in  the  shoulder  and  the  other  shot  in  the  hand.  1  myself  after- 
ward helped  to  dress  the  wound  of  the  one  shot  in  the  hand,  as  no  physician 
was  near  at  the  time,  all  being  occupied  with  wounded  in  the  rear.  All  the 
men  carried  on  their  persons  small  packages  of  emergency  dressings,  and  now 
I  hope  you  will  never  again  say  that  that  little  package  of  emergency  dress- 
ing which  I  have  been  carrying  to  your  discomfort  in  my  grip  and  trunk  for 
ten  years  is  a  nuisance  and  useless. 

Greene  Enters  the  City. 

"  When  I  reported  to  General  Greene  and  he  galloped  to  the  front,  fol- 
lowed by  his  staff  and  myself,  and  as  we  were  crossing  the  Lunetta,  a  number 
of  shots  were  fired  at  us  from  Mauser  rifles  by  Spaniards  concealed  in  native 
huts  off  to  the  right  of  the  open  space  from  which  our  men  had  previously 
advanced.  I  think  these  were  native  soldiers  in  the  service  of  the  Spaniards, 
who  had  been  cut  off  by  our  rapid  advance  and  were  trying  to  make  their 
way  into  the  city.  They  had  been  pressed  pretty  hard  by  the  columns  which 
had  advanced  through  the  streets  of  Malate  which  were  furthest  away  from 
the  beach,  but  they  had  been  unable  to  fall  back  as  fast  as  our  men  had  ad- 
vanced along  the  beach  and  that  street  which  was  nearest  the  beach. 

"  General  Greene  rode  up  to  the  wall  and  had  a  consultation  with  an 
official  who  came  forward  to  meet  him  near  its  corner.  Then  we  turned  to 
the  right  and  started  along  the  Calle  de  Bagumbayan  to  go  around  the  city. 
When  we  reached  that  gate  of  the  wall  which  enters  from  the  road  to  Paco 


SURRENDER  OF  MANILA. 

we  met  a  number  of  mounted  Spanish  officials,  whom  General  Greene  stopped 
to  interview.  They  brought  a  request  that  he  enter  the  city  to  see  the  Captain- 
General,  and  accompanied  by  his  Adjutant-General,  Captain  Bates,  and  by 
Dr.  Bourns  as  an  interpreter,  he  went  into  the  city,  leaving  us  to  await  his 
return. 

"The  men  were  halted,  and  while  resting  on  their  arms  freely  talked  with 
the  conquered  Spaniards.  It  is  very  strange  how  soon  soldiers  of  opposing 
sides  will  affiliate  with  each  other  after  one  side  has  given  up.  While  General 
Greene  was  in  the  city,  General  Anderson  and  General  Babcock  arrived  and 
soon  afterward  General  Greene  came  out  of  the  city  and  had  a  conference  with 
these  two  generals. 

Insurgents  Pulled  Up  Short. 

"  We  then  resumed  our  progress  around  the  walled  city,  and  having 
reached  another  road  leading  into  the  city  from  Santa  Ana,  we  found  another 
gang  of  insurgents  in  our  way,  whom  General  Greene  directed  two  companies 
to  force  out  of  the  road  on  to  another  street,  so  as  to  let  his  command  pass 
by.  One  man  with  a  red  sash  tied  around  his  shoulders  and  very  much  ex- 
cited was  haranguing  the  crowd,  and  when  directed  to  move  his  men  into  the 
side  street  by  Dr.  Bourns,  who  spoke  to  him  in  Spanish,  pursuant  to  General 
Greene's  orders,  he  said  :  '  No,  we  are  not  going  anywhere.  We  are  going 
into  the  walled  city.  That's  what  we  came  for,  and  that's  what  we  are  going 
to  do.' 

"  I  jumped  off  my  horse  and  pulling  my  pistol  out,  shook  if  in  his  face 
and  told  Dr.  Bourns  to  say  to  him  that  if  he  wanted  trouble  he  could  have  it 
right  off,  but  if  he  didn't  want  trouble  he  had  better  move  his  men  where 
ordered  to,  and  move  them  damned  quick.  He  suddenly  became  very  polite, 
and  with  many  salaams,  said  '  Si,  si,  senor.'  In  the  meantime  two  companies 
had  marched  up  to  the  side  of  the  insurgents,  and,  wheeling  into  line  in  front 
of  them,  pressed  them  out  of  our  way  back  into  the  side  street.  Then  the 
insurgents  went  back  that  street  and  approached  from  another  direction,  but 
were  headed  off  by  Colonel  Smith  of  the  First  California,  to  whom  I  carried  an 
order  to  force  them  back  across  a  bridge  over  the  river  and  hold  them  there. 

"  General  Greene  sent  me  with  a  battalion  across  the  Puente  de  Espana, 
the  main  and  principal  bridge  leading  from  the  corner  of  the  walled  city  over 
into  the  suburbs  of  Binondo  and  Tondo.  On  coming  back  he  sent  me  with 
another  battalion  across  the  bridge  leading  into  Quiapo.  Returning  from  this 
duty,  I  informed  him  there  was  another  bridge  just  above  the  one  leading  to 
Quiapo,  and  he  sent  me  back  with  orders  to  direct  Colonel  Smith  to  guard 
that  bridge  also.  Returning  to  General  Greene,  I  again  got  a  message  to 
carry  to  the  colonel  of  the  Nebraska  regiment,  who  was  awaiting  onlers  in 


SURRENDER   OF   MANILA.  193 

the  rear,  and  bringing  him  up  to  the  front,  I  accompanied  General  Greene  and 
his  staff  until  all  the  troops  were  posted  in  positions  to  guard  the  principal 
buildings  of  the  towns  and  all  the  main  approaches  into  the  outskirts,  so  that 
the  insurgents  could  be  prevented  from  entering  and  looting  the  place.  This 
they  were  very  keen  to  do. 

Hot  Work  for  General  MacArthur. 

''All  this  time,  while  General  Greene's  brigade  was  fighting  through  the 
city  and  afterward  posting  itself  for  protection  against  the  insurgents,  General 
MacArthur's  brigade,  which  had  entered  the  outskirts  of  the  city  to  the  right 
and  rear  of  ours,  had  been  fighting  near  Santa  Ana,  Concordia,  Paco  and 
Cingalon  with  Spanish  skirmishers,  and  following  up  in  our  rear  to  take  the 
positions  on  the  outskirts  abandoned  by  our  troops,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
insurgents  from  following  in  our  rear.  A  portion  of  his  command  had  rather 
a  tough  fight  near  Concordia,  and  lost  in  about  five  minutes  several  men 
killed  and  fifteen  or  twenty  wounded.  He,  however,  succeeded  in  cutting  off 
all  but  a  few  of  the  insurgents,  who  slipped  in  too  quick  for  him  at  Santa  Ana. 

"All  along  the  north  side  of  the  town  extending  from  Santa  Ana,  around 
in  a  northerly  direction  to  the  bay  at  Malabon,  near  Caloocan,  the  Spanish 
held  their  positions  and  did  not  fall  back ;  so  we  took  up  our  positions  in 
their  rear,  and  although  they  had  surrendered  they  were  not  relieved  from 
duty  in  these  trenches  until  four  o'clock  on  the  following  afternoon.  I  don't 
suppose  there  ever  was  another  case  on  record  where  two  armies  opposed  to 
each  other  fought  out  their  differences  and  agreed  to  a  plan  to  join  hands  for 
the  protection  of  a  helpless  population  against  the  evil  propensities  of  a  third 
armed  party. 

"  The  following  day  General  Greene  sent  me  to  make  a  reconnoissance 
and  report  on  the  Spanish  line  extending  from  Santa  Ana  around  northward, 
and  the  Spanish  still  being  in  these  trenches,  I  came  in  contact  with  all  of 
them.  All  the  officers  appeared  very  friendly  and  not  resentful,  except  one, 
a  Colonel  Carbo,  who  was  a  fire-eating  Spaniard  and  Colonel  of  the  Guias 
Rurales.  He  was  very  theatrical  in  his  manner  and  objected  to  surrendering 
as  he  did,  stating  that  he  much  preferred  fighting  to  the  death  for  his  beloved 
country. 

"  That  evening  late,  as  I  was  returning  from  my  duty,  I  found  a  drunken 
American  soldier  on  the  street  with  a  rock  in  his  hand,  having  an  altercation 
with  three  or  four  Chinamen  who  were  trying  to  keep  him  out  of  their  house. 
They  complained  that  he  wanted  to  drink  the  alcohol  out  of  their  shellac. 
They  were  dealers  in  oils,  paints,  varnishes,  shellac,  etc.  He  was  accompanied 

by  a  citizen  who  spoke  English  and  said  he  was  an  Englishman,  but  I  think 
13-D 


194  SURRENDER  OF   MANILA. 

he  was  probably  a  discharged  American  soldier  who  had  remained  with  the 
command.  He  also  was  drunk.  I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  soldier  and  he  said 
no,  so  I  arrested  the  soldier  he  was  with  and  ordered  the  citizen  to  move  on 
and  go  about  his  business.  He  followed  me  up,  abusing  me  for  arresting  the 
soldier,  and  I  again  went  back  and  drove  him  away,  saying  that  I  would  arrest 
him,  too,  if  I  had  any  more  trouble  with  him. 

"  I  delivered  the  soldier  to  the  guard,  and  as  I  was  turning  away  I  encoun- 
tered the -citizen  again  coming  to  the  rescue  of  the  soldier.  My  Irish  was 
then  up  and  I  started  for  him,  but  he  ran  away.  I  soon  overtook  him  and 
arrested  him,  but  he  resisted,  and  I  struck  him  over  the  head  with  my  pistol, 
which  cut  his  scalp  and  made  the  blood  flow  freely.  He  then  accompanied 
me  to  the  guard.  He  had  told  me  that '  no  damned  American  officer  could 
arrest  him  because  he  was  an  English  citizen,'  and  I  concluded  that  it  was  best 
for  the  community  that  this  erroneous  impression  should  be  removed. 

"  Here  is  an  incident  of  the  entrance  into  Manila  which  I  forgot  to  relate. 
While  I  was  advancing  down  the  streets  of  Malate  with  the  California  regi- 
ment some  Mauser  rifle  shots  were  heard  from  a  small  building  between  the 
Calle  Real  and  the  beach.  About  a  dozen  California  men  rushed  into  the 
yard  in  which  the  building  was  situated,  and,  kneeling  down,  pumped  a  rain 
of  bullets  into  the  house.  I  turned  away  to  another  place  where  sharp  firing 
was  going  on,  and  presently  I  saw  these  men  bringing  out  of  the  yard  three 
badly  scared  natives,  soldiers  in  the  Spanish  army,  whom  they  had  captured 
in  the  house,  and  one  of  the  men  remarked  that  one  man  in  the  house  had 
been  killed,  and  that  there  had  been  four  of  them  altogether.  They  carried 
their  prisoners  along  with  the  advancing  troops. 

Big  Bluff  by  Major  Jones. 

"  White  we  were  waiting  on  the  Calle  de  Bagumbayan,  Major  Fitzhugh 
came  into  the  street  from  the  road  leading  toward  Paco  and  reported  to  me 
that  some  insurgents  had  entered  Malate  in  that  direction  and  were  advancing 
on  the  city,  and  that  he  and  Major  Jones,  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department, 
had  taken  the  flag  of  the  California  regiment,  and,  going  down  the  street  in 
front  of  them  had  planted  the  flag  and  ordered  them  to  halt,  at  the  same  time 
pulling  their  pistols  and  threatening  to  shoot  the  first  man  who  dared  to 
advance.  Major  Jones  afterward  remarked  that  it  was  simply  a  bluff  on  Tiis 
part,  as  he  didn't  have  a  single  cartridge  in  his  pistol  at  the  time. 

"  They  halted,  however,  and  Major  Fitzhugh  had  returned  to  report  that 
they  were  threatening  to  come  in  anyhow  and  kill  everybody — Americans  or 
anybody  else— who  tried  to  prevent  them.  He  thought  some  troops  should 
be  sent  there,  and  I  referred  him  to  General  Greene,  who  just  then  came  out 


SURRENDER  OF   MANILA.  195 

of  the  walled  city.  He  reported  to  General  Greene,  and  I  understand  some 
troops  were  immediately  dispatched  to  prevent  their  further  advance. 

"  I  have  never  before  realized  what  a  demoralizing  thing  it  is  to  be  shot 
at  and  not  know  where  the  bullet  is  coming  from.  The  Mauser  rifle  used  by 
the  Spanish  has  a  very  small  calibre,  and  as  the  Spanish  used  smokeless  pow- 
der the  noise  was  very  slight.  There  was  no  flash  or  smoke  at  all.  The 
flash  could  not  even  be  seen  by  night.  One  could  only  judge  of  the  direction 
from  which  the  bullet  came  by  the  small  popping  noise  of  the  explosion. 
This  gave  one  a  general  idea,  but  no  indication  of  where  to  shoot.  It  gave 
the  Spanish  a  most  decided  advantage  over  all  our  volunteers,  who  were  armed 
with  Springfields,  the  fire  from  which  made  a  great  noise  and  much  smoke,  as 
old-fashioned  powder  was  in  the  cartridges. 

"  The  other  day  I  was  sent  by  General  Greene  to  guide  certain  officers  to 
the  water-works,  the  reservoir,  and  the  pumping  station.  We  found  both  in 
the  hands  of  the  insurgents,  and  at  neither  place  would  they  allow  us  to 
examine  the  works  until  I  had  shown  them  an  old  pass  that  I  had  obtained 
from  Aguinaldo  when  I  started  to  make  my  first  reconnoisance  around  the 
city.  This  proved  to  be  an  open  sesame,  and  we  had  no  further  trouble. 
They  would  not  give  up  the  water-works,  however,  without  an  order,  and  so 
on  the  following  day  General  Merritt  directed  me  to  go  and  see  Aguinaldo 
concerning  the  matter,  but  just  as  I  was  making  preparations  to  start,  in  the 
worst  storm  and  over  the  worst  roads  I  ever  saw,  two  emissaries  from  Agui- 
naldo came  to  see  General  Greene  about  the  same  question,  so  I  was  saved  a 
disagreeable  journey.  Everything  is  still  in  considerable  confusion,  but  I 
believe  it  is  straightening  itself  out  as  rapidly  and  as  smoothly  as  could  well 
be  expected  under  the  circumstances." 

General  Merritt's  Report. 

The  report  of  Major-General  Wesley  Merritt  of  his  operations  about 
Manila  is  dated  on  board  the  transport  China,  August  31.  After  giving 
briefly  the  story  of  his  embarkation  and  arrival  at  Manila,  and  the  disposition 
of  the  troops  there,  he  says : 

"  I  found  General  Greene's  command  encamped  on  a  strip  of  sandy  land 
running  parallel  to  the  shore  of  the  bay,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  beach, 
but  owing  to  the  great  difficulties  of  landing  supplies  the  greater  portion  of 
the  force  had  shelter  tents  only,  and  were  suffering  many  discomforts,  the 
camp  being  situated  in  a  low,  flat  place,  without  shelter  from  the  heat  of  the 
tropical  sun,  or  adequate  protection  during  the  terrific  downpours  of  rain  so 
frequent  at  thia  season. 

"  I  was  at  once  struck  by  the  exemplary  spirit  of  patient,  even  cheerful, 


196  SURRENDER  OF  MANILA. 

endurance  shown  by  the  officers  and  men  under  such  circumstances,  and  this 
feeling  of  admiration  for  the  manner  in  which  the  American  soldier,  volunteer 
and  regular  alike,  accepts  the  necessary  hardships  of  the  work  they  have 
undertaken  to  do,  has  grown  and  increased  with  nearly  every  phase  of  the 
difficult  and  trying  campaign  which  the  troops  of  the  Philippine  expedition 
have  brought  to  such  a  brilliant  and  successful  conclusion. 

The  Insurgents'  Strength. 

"  The  Filipinos,  or  insurgent  forces  at  war  with  Spain,  had,  prior  to  the 
arrival  of  the  American  land  forces,  been  waging  a  desultory  warfare  with  the 
Spaniards  for  several  months,  and  were  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  in  considera- 
ble force,  variously  estimated  and  never  accurately  ascertained,  but  probably 
not  far  from  12,000  men.  These  troops,  well  supplied  with  small  arms,  with 
plenty  of  ammunition,  and  several  field  guns,  had  obtained  positions  of 
investment  opposite  to  the  Spanish  line  of  detached  works  throughout  their 
entire  extent" 

General  Merritt  then  speaks  of  Aguinaldo's  operations  previous  to  his 
arrival,  and  continues : 

"  As  General  Aguinaldo  did  not  visit  me  on  my  arrival  nor  offer  his 
services  as  a  subordinate  military  leader,  and  as  my  instructions  from  the 
President  fully  contemplated  the  occupation  of  the  islands  by  the  American 
land  forces,  and  stated  that  '  the  powers  of  the  military  occupant  are  absolute 
and  supreme,  and  immediately  operate  upon  the  political  condition  of  the 
inhabitants/  I  did  not  consider  it  wise  to  hold  any  direct  communication 
with  the  insurgent  leader  until  I  should  be  in  possession  of  the  city  of  Manila, 
especially  as  I  would  not  until  then  be  in  a  position  to  issue  a  proclamation 
and  enforce  my  authority,  in  the  event  that  his  pretensions  should  clash  with 
my  designs. 

"  For  these  reasons  the  preparations  for  the  attack  on  the  city  were 
pressed,  and  military  operations  conducted  without  reference  to  the  situation 
of  the  insurgent  forces.  The  wisdom  of  this  course  was  subsequently  fully 
established  by  the  fact,  that  when  the  troops  of  my  command  carried  the 
Spanish  intrenchments,  extending  from  the  sea  to  the  Pasay  Road,  on  the 
extreme  Spanish  right,  we  were  under  no  obligations,  by  prearranged  plans  of 
mutual  attack,  to  turn  to  the  right  and  clear  the  front  still  held  against  the 
insurgents,  but  were  able  to  move  forward  at  once  and  occupy  the  city  and 
suburbs. 

"  To  return  to  the  situation  of  General  Greene's  brigade  as  I  found  it  OP 
my  arrival,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  difficulty  in  gaining  an  avenue  of  approach  to 
the  Spanish  line  lay  in  the  fact  of  my  disinclination  to  ask  General  Aguinaldo 


SURRENDER  OF   MANILA.  197 

to  withdraw  from  the  beach  and  the  *  Calle  Real/  so  that  Greene  could  move 
forward.  This  was  overcome  by  instructions  to  General  Greene  to  arrange,  it 
possible,  with  the  insurgent  brigade  commander  in  his  immediate  vicinity  to 
move  to  the  right  and  allow  the  American  forces  unobstructed  control  of  the 
roads  in  their  immediate  front.  No  objection  was  made,  and  accordingly 
General  Greene's  brigade  threw  forward  a  heavy  outpost  line  on  the  '  Calle 
"Real '  and  the  beach,  and  constructed  a  trench  in  which  a  portion  of  the  guns 
of  the  Utah  Battery  was  placed. 

The  Spanish  Night  Attack. 

"  The  Spaniards,  observing  this  activity  on  our  part,  made  a  sharp  attack 
with  infantry  and  artillery  on  the  night  of  July  3ist.  The  behavior  of  our 
troops  during  this  night  attack  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  I  have,  in 
cablegrams  to  the  War  Department,  taken  occasion  to  commend  by  name 
those  who  deserve  special  mention  for  good  conduct  in  the  affair.  Our  posi- 
tion was  extended  and  strengthened  after  this,  and  resisted  successfully 
repeated  night  attacks,  our  forces  suffering,  however,  considerable  loss  in 
wounded  and  killed,  while  the  losses  of  the  enemy,  owing  to  the  darkness, 
could  not  be  ascertained. 

"  The  strain  of  the  night  fighting  and  the  heavy  details  for  outpost  duty 
made  it  imperative  to  reinforce  General  Greene's  troops  with  General  Mac- 
Arthur's  brigade,  which  had  arrived  in  transports  on  the  3ist  of  July.  The 
difficulties  of  this  operation  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  The  transports 
were  at  anchor  off  Cavite,  five  miles  from  a  point  on  the  beach,  where  it  was 
desired  to  disembark  the  men. 

"  Several  squalls,  accompanied  by  floods  of  rain,  raged  day  after  day,  and 
the  only  way  to  get  the  troops  and  supplies  ashore  was  to  load  them  from 
the  ship's  side  into  native  lighters  (called  '  cascos  ')  or  small  steamboats,  move 
them  to  a  point  opposite  the  camp,  and  then  disembark  them  through  the  surf 
in  small  boats,  or  by  running  the  lighters  head  on  the  beach.  The  landing 
was  finally  accomplished,  after  days  of  hard  work  and  hardships ;  and  I  desire 
here  to  express  again  my  admiration  for  the  fortitude  and  cheerful  willingness 
of  men  of  all  commands  engaged  in  this  operation. 

"  Upon  the  assembly  of  MacArthur's  brigade  in  support  of  Greene's,  I 
had  about  8,500  men  in  position  to  attack,  and  I  deemed  the  time  had  come 
for  final  action.  During  the  time  of  the  night  attacks  I  had  communicated 
my  desire  to  Admiral  Dewey  that  he  would  allow  his  ships  to  open  fire  on 
the  right  of  the  Spanish  line  of  intrenchmcnts,  believing  that  such  action 
would  stop  the  night  firing  and  loss  of  life;  but  the  Admiral  had  declined  to 
order  it,  unless  we  were  in  danger  of  losing  our  position  by  the  assaults  of  the 


198  SURRENDER  OF   MANILA. 

Spanish,  for  the  reason  that,  in  his  opinion,  it  would  precipitate  a  general 
engagement,  for  which  he  was  not  ready. 

"  Now,  however,  the  brigade  of  General  MacArthur  was  in  position,  and 
the  Monterey  had  arrived,  and  under  date  of  August  6th  Admiral  Dewey 
agreed  to  my  suggestion,  that  we  should  send  a  joint  letter  to  the  Captain- 
General  notifying  him  that  he  should  remove  from  the  city  all  non-combatants 
within  forty-eight  hours,  and  that  operations  against  the  defences  of  Manila 
might  begin  at  any  time  after  the  expiration  of  that  period. 

"  This  letter  was  sent  August  7,  and  a  reply  was  received  the  same  date 
to  the  effect  that  the  Spanish  were  without  places  of  refuge  for  the  increased 
numbers  of  wounded,  sick,  women  and  children  now  lodged  within  the  walls. 
On  the  Qth,  a  formal  joint  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  city  was  sent  in. 
This  demand  was  based  upon  the  hopelessness  of  the  struggle  on  the  part  of 
the  Spaniards,  and  that  every  consideration  of  humanity  demanded  that  the 
city  should  not  be  subjected  to  bombardment  under  such  circumstances.  The 
Captain-General's  reply,  of  same  date,  stated  that  the  Council  of  Defence  had 
declared  that  the  demand  could  not  be  granted;  but  the  Captain- General 
offered  to  consult  his  Government  if  we  would  allow  him  the  time  strictly 
necessary  for  the  communications  by  way  of  Hong  Kong. 

"  This  was  declined  on  our  part,  for  the  reason  that  it  could,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Admiral  and  myself,  lead  only  to  a  continuance  of  the  situa- 
tion, with  no  immediate  result  favorable  to  us,  and  the  necessity  was  apparent 
and  very  urgent  that  decisive  action  should  be  taken  at  once  to  compel  the 
enemy  to  give  up  the  town,  in  order  to  relieve  our  troops  from  the  trenches, 
and  from  the  great  exposure  to  unhealthy  conditions,  which  were  unavoida- 
ble in  a  bivouac  during  the  rainy  season. 

The  Plan  of  Assault. 

"  The  seacoast  batteries  in  defence  of  Manila  are  so  situated  that  it  is 
impossible  for  ships  to  engage  them  without  firing  into  the  town,  and  as  the 
bombardment  of  a  city  filled  with  women  and  children,  sick  and  wounded, 
and  containing  a  large  amount  of  neutral  property,  could  only  be  justified  as 
a  last  resort,  it  was  agreed  between  Admiral  Dewey  and  myself  that  £n 
attempt  should  be  made  to  carry  the  extreme  right  of  the  Spanish  line  of 
intrenchments  in  front  of  the  positions  at  that  time  occupied  by  our  troops, 
which,  with  its  flank  on  the  seashore,  was  entirely  open  to  the  fire  of  the 
n?vy. 

"  It  was  not  my  intention  to  press  the  assault  at  this  point,  in  case 
the  enemy  should  hold  it  in  strong  force,  until  after  the  navy  had  made  prac- 
ticable breaches  in  the  works  and  shaken  the  troops  holding  them,  which 


SURRENDER   OF   MANILA.  199 

could  not  be  done  by  the  army  alone,  owing  to  the  absence  of  siege  guns. 
This  is  indicated  fully  in  the  orders  and  memorandum  of  attack  hereto 
appended.  It  was  believed,  however,  as  most  desirable,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  principles  of  civilized  warfare,  that  the  attempt  should  be  made  to 
drive  the  enemy  out  of  his  intrenchments  before  resorting  to  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  city. 

"  By  orders  issued  some  time  previously,  MacArthur's  and  Greene's 
brigades  were  organized  as  the  2d  division  of  the  8th  Army  Corps,  Brigadier 
General  Thomas  M.  Anderson  commanding  ;  and  in  anticipation  of  the  attack 
General  Anderson  moved  his  headquarters  from  Cavite  to  the  brigade  camps 
and  assumed  direct  command  in  the  field.  Copies  of  the  written  and  verbal 
instructions,  referred  to  above  and  appended  hereto,  were  given  to  the  divi- 
sion and  brigade  commanders  on  the  1 2th,  and  all  the  troops  were  in  position 
on  the  1 3th  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

Dewey  Opens  the  Fight. 

"About  9  A.M.  on  that  day  our  fleet  steamed  forward  from  Cavite,  and 
before  10  A.M.  opened  a  hot  and  accurate  fire  of  heavy  shells  and  rapid-fire 
projectiles  on  the  sea  flank  of  the  Spanish  intrenchments  at  the  powder  maga- 
zine fort,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Utah  batteries  in  position  in  our  trenches 
near  the  '  Calle  Real '  began  firing  with  great  accuracy.  At  10.25,  on  a  prear- 
ranged signal  from  our  trenches  that  it  was  believed  our  troops  could  advance, 
the  navy  ceased  firing,  and  immediately  a  light  line  of  skirmishers  from  the 
Colorado  regiment  of  Greene's  Brigade  passed  over  our  trenches  and  deployed 
rapidly  forward,  another  line  from  the  same  regiment  from  the  left  flank  of 
our  earthworks,  advancing  swiftly  up  the  beach  in  open  order. 

"  Both  of  these  lines  found  the  powder  magazine  forts  and  the  trenches 
flanking  it  deserted,  but  as  they  passed  over  the  Spanish  works  they  were  met 
by  a  sharp  fire  from  a  second  line  situated  in  the  streets  of  Malate,  by  which 
a  number  of  men  were  killed  and  wounded,  among  others  the  soldier  who 
pulled  down  the  Spanish  colors  still  flying  on  the  fort  and  raised  our  own. 

"  The  works  of  the  second  line  soon  gave  way  to  the  determined  advance 
of  Greene's  troops,  and  that  officer  pushed  his  brigade  rapidly  through  Malate 
and  over  the  bridges  to  occupy  Binondo  and  San  Miguel,  as  contemplated  in 
his  instructions.  In  the  meantime  the  brigade  of  General  MacArthur,  advanc- 
ing simultaneously  on  the  Pasay  road,  encountered  a  very  sharp  fire,  coming 
from  the  block-houses,  trenches  and  woods  in  his  front,  positions  which  it  was 
very  difficult  to  carry,  owing  to  the  swampy  condition  of  the  ground  on  both 
sides  of  the  roads  and  the  heavy  undergrowth  concealing  the  enemy.  With 
much  gallantry  and  excellent  judgment  on  the  part  of  the  brigade  commander 


200  SURRENDER  OF   MANILA. 

and  the  troops  engaged,  these  difficulties  were  overcome  with  a  minimum  loss 
and  MacArthur  advanced  and  held  the  bridges  and  the  town  of  Malate,  as  was 
contemplated  in  his  instructions. 

"  The  city  of  Manila  was  now  in  our  possession,  except  the  walled  town, 
but  shortly  after  the  entry  of  our  troops  into  Malate  a  white  flag  was  displayed 
on  the  walls,  whereupon  Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  A.  Whittier,  United  States 
;Volunteers,  of  my  staff,  and  Lieutenant  Brumby,  United  States  navy,  repre* 
senting  Admiral  Dewey,  were  sent  ashore  to  communicate  with  the  Captain- 
General.  I  soon  personally  followed  these  officers  into  the  town,  going  at 
once  to  the  palace  of  the  Governor-General,  and  there,  after  a  conversation 
with  the  Spanish  authorities,  a  preliminary  agreement  of  the  terms  of  capitu- 
lation was  signed  by  the  Captain-General  and  myself.  This  agreement  was 
subsequently  incorporated  into  the  formal  terms  of  capitulation,  as  arranged 
by  the  officers  representing  the  two  forces. 

American  Flag  Unfurled. 

"  Immediately  after  the  surrender  the  Spanish  colors  on  the  sea  front  were 
hauled  down  and  the  American  flag  displayed  and  saluted  by  the  guns  of  the 
navy.  The  Second  Oregon  regiment,  which  had  proceeded  by  sea  from 
Cavite,  was  disembarked  and  entered  the  walled  town  as  a  provost  guard,  and 
the  Colonel  was  directed  to  receive  the  Spanish  arms  and  deposit  them  in 
places  of  security/  The  town  was  rilled  with  the  troops  of  the  enemy  driven 
in  from  the  intrenchments,  regiments  formed  and  standing  in  line  in  the 
streets,  but  the  work  of  disarming  proceeded  quietly,  and  nothing  unpleasant 
occurred. 

"In  leaving  the  subject  of  the  operations  of  the  I3th,  I  desire  here  to 
record  my  appreciation  of  the  admirable  manner  in  which  the  orders  for 
attack  and  the  plan  for  occupation  of  the  city  were  carried  out  by  the  troops 
exactly  as  contemplated.  I  submit  that  for  troops  to  enter  under  fire  a  town 
covering  a  wide  area,  to  rapidly  deploy  and  guard  all  principal  points  in  the 
extensive  suburbs,  to  keep  out  the  insurgent  forces  pressing  for  admission,  to 
quietly  disarm  an  army  of  Spaniards  more  than  equal  in  numbers  to  the 
American  troops,  and  finally  by  all  this  to  prevent  entirely  all  rapine,  pillage 
and  disorder  and  gain  entire  and  complete  possession  of  a  city  of  300,000 
people,  with  natives  hostile  to  the  European  interests  and  stirred  up  by  the 
knowledge  that  their  own  people  were  fighting  in  the  outside  trenches — was 
f,an  act  which  only  the  law-abiding,  temperate,  resolute  American  soldier,  well 
handled  by  his  regimental  and  brigade  commanders,  could  accomplish. 

"  It  will  be  observed  that  the  trophies  of  Manila  were  nearly  $QOO,oooa 
13,000  prisoners,  and  22,000  arms." 


SURRENDER   OF   MANILA.  201 

General  Merritt  then  details  the  inauguration  of  the  military  government 
of  Manila  by  the  Americans.  Further  he  says : 

"  On  the  i6th  a  cablegram  containing  the  text  of  the  President's  proclama- 
tion directing  a  cessation  of  hostilities  was  received  by  me,  and  at  the  same 
time  an  order  to  make  the  fact  known  to  the  Spanish  authorities,  which  was 
done  at  once.  This  resulted  in  a  formal  protest  from  the  Governor-General 
in  relation  to  the  transfer  of  public  funds  then  taking  place,  on  the  ground  that 
the  proclamation  was  dated  prior  to  the  surrender.  To  this  I  replied  that  the 
status  quo  in  which  we  were  left  with  the  cessation  of  hostilities  was  that 
existing  at  the  time  of  the  receipt  by  me  of  the  official  notice,  and  that  I 
must  insist  upon  the  delivery  of  the  funds,  which  was  made  under  protest. 

"  After  the  issue  of  my  proclamation  and  the  establishment  of  my  office 
as  Military  Governor,  I  had  direct  written  communication  with  General  Agui- 
naldo  on  several  occasions.  He  recognized  my  authority  as  Military  Governor 
of  the  town  of  Manila  and  suburbs,  and  made  professions  of  his  willingness 
to  withdraw  his  troops  to  a  line  which  I  might  indicate,  but  at  the  same  time 
asking  certain  favors  for  himself.  The  matters  in  this  connection  had  not 
been  settled  at  the  date  of  my  departure. 

"  Doubtless  much  dissatisfaction  is  felt  by  the  rank  and  file  of  the  insur- 
gents that  they  have  not  been  permitted  to  enjoy  the  occupancy  of  Manila, 
and  there  is  some  ground  for  trouble  with  them,  owing  to  that  fact,  but  not- 
withstanding many  rumors  to  the  contrary,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  leaders 
will  be  able  to  prevent  serious  disturbances,  as  they  are  sufficiently  intelligent 
and  educated  to  know  that  to  antagonize  the  United  States  would  be  to 
destroy  their  only  chance  of  future  political  improvement. 

"  I  may  add  that  great  changes  for  the  better  have  taken  place  in  Manila 
since  the  occupancy  of  the  city  by  the  American  troops. 


General  Anderson's  Statement. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  the  reports  of  General  Thomas  M0 
Anderson,  commanding  the  second  division  of  the  Eighth  Army  Corps,  as  to 
the  operations  about  Manila : 

"On  the  1st  day  of  July  I  had  an  interview  with  the  insurgent  chief, 
\guinaldo  and  learned  from  him  that  the  Spanish  forces  had  withdrawn, 
driven  back  by  his  army,  as  he  claimed,  to  a  line  of  defense  immediately 
around  the  city  and  its  suburbs. 


202  SURRENDER   OF   MANILA. 

"  He  estimated  the  Spanish  forces  at  about  14,000  men  and  his  own  at 
about  the  same  number.  He  did  not  seem  pleased  at  the  incoming  of  our 
land  forces,  hoping,  as  I  believe,  that  he  could  take  the  city  with  his  owe 
army,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  American  fleet." 

General  Anderson  thus  describes  the  attack  on  Manila,  which  was  under 
his  immediate  command,  subject  to  orders  from  General  Merritt,  whose  head- 
quarters were  on  a  dispatch  boat : 

"The  fleet  opened  fire  at  9.30  A.M.  The  first  shots  fell  short;  but  thej 
range  was  soon  found,  and  then  the  fire  became  evidently  effective.  I  at  once 
telegraphed  General  Mac  Arthur  to  open  on  blockhouse  No.  14  and  begin 
his  attack.  At  the  same  time  seven  of  the  guns  of  the  Utah  Battery  opened 
fire  on  the  enemy's  'works  in  front  of  the  Second  Brigade,  and  two  guns  on 
the  right  of  this  brigade  opened  an  oblique  fire  toward  blockhouse  No.  14. 

"  Riding  down  to  the  beach,  I  saw  two  of  our  lighter  draft  vessels  approach 
and  open  on  the  Polvorin  with  rapid-fire  guns,  and  observed  at  the  same  time 
some  men  of  the  Second  Brigade  start  up  the  beach.  I  ordered  the  First 
California,  which  was  the  leading  regiment  of  the  reserve,  to  go  forward  and 
report  to  General  Greene.  Going  to  the  reserve  telegraph  I  received  a  mes- 
sage from  MacArthur  that  his  fire'on  the  blockhouse  was  effective,  but  that 
he  was  enfiladed  from  the  right. 

"  I  knew  from  this  that  he  wished  to  push  the  insurgents  aside  and  put  in 
the  Astor  Battery.  I  then  authorized  him  to  attack,  which  he  did,  and  soon 
after  the  Twenty-third  Infantry  and  the  Thirteenth  Minnesota  carried  the  ad- 
vance line  of  the  enemy  in  the  most  gallant  manner,  the  one  gun  of  the  Utah 
Battery  and  the  Astor  Battery  lending  most  effective  assistance. 

Colorado  Men  Charge. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  Colorado  Regiment  had  charged  and  carried  the 
right  of  the  enemy's  line,  and  the  Eighteenth  Regular  Infantry  and  the  Third 
Heavy  (regular)  Artillery,  acting  as  infantry,  had  advanced  and  passed  over 
the  enemy's  works  in  their  front  without  opposition.  The  reserve  was  ordered 
forward  to  follow  the  Second  Brigade,  and  a  battery  of  Hotchkiss  guns  was 
directed  to  follow  the  Eighteenth  Infantry. 

"  Soon  the  men  from  Nebraska  and  Wyoming  came  on  shouting,  for  the 
#hite  flag  could  now  be  seen  from  the  sea  front ;  yet  the  firing  did  riot  cease, 
and  the  Spanish  soldiers  at  the  front  did  not  seem  to  be  notified  of  the  sur- 
render. In  the  meantime  the  reserves  had  been  ordered  forward,  except  one 
regiment,  which  was  ordered  to  remain  in  the  Second  Brigade  trenches.  The 
seven  Utah  guns  were  also  ordered  to  the  front,  one  infantry  battalion  being 
directed  to  assist  the  men  of  the  batteries  in  hauling  the  guns  by  hand. 


SURRENDER   OF   MANILA.  203 

"  The  field  telegraph  wires,  extending  in  a  wide  circuit  to  the  extreme 
right,  for  a  time  gave  discouraging  reports.  The  front  was  contracted,  the 
enemy  entrenched  and  the  timber  thick  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  Only  two 
regiments  could  be  put  on  the  firing  line.  The  Fourteenth  Infantry  was  brought 
forward,  but  could  not  fire  a  shot.  Under  these  circumstances  I  telegraphed 
MacArthur  to  countermarch  and  come  to  Malate  by  way  of  Greene's  in- 
trenchments  and  the  beach.  This  was  at  12.25  p-  M->  Dut  soon  after  I  learned 
^that  MacArthur  was  too  far  committed  to  retire.  The  guns  of  the  Astor 
Battery  had  been  dragged  to  the  front  only  after  the  utmost  exertions  and 
were  about  being  put  into  the  battery. 

"  At  the  same  time  I  received  a  telegram  stating  that  the  insurgents  were 
threatening  to  cross  the  bamboo  bridge  on  our  right,  and  to  prevent  this  and 
to  guard  our  ammunition  at  Pasay  I  ordered  an  Idaho  battalion  to  that  point. 
It  was  evidently  injudicious  under  these  circumstances  to  withdraw  the  First 
Brigade,  so  the  order  was  countermanded  and  a  despatch  sent  announcing 
our  success  on  the  left. 

"  In  answer,  the  report  came  that  Singalong  had  been  captured  and  that 
the  brigade  was  advancing  on  Paco.  At  this  point  it  was  subsequently  met 
by  one  of  my  aides  and  marched  down  to  the  Cuartel  de  Malate  by  the  Cal- 
zada  de  Paca.  I  had  gone  in  the  meantime  to  the  south  bridge  of  the  walled 
city,  and  learning  that  the  Second  Oregon  was  within  the  walls,  and  that 
Colonel  Whittier  was  in  conference  with  the  Spanish  commandant,  I  directed 
General  Greene  to  proceed  at  once  with  his  brigade  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Pasig,  retaining  only  the  Wyoming  Battalion  to  remain  with  me  to  keep  up 
the  connection  between  the  two  brigades." 

O'Connor's  Adventures. 

General  Anderson,  in  describing  the  remarkable  adventures  of  Captain 
O'Connor  of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry,  reported  : 

"  A  remarkable  incident  of  the  day  was  the  experience  of  Captain  Stephen 
O'Connor  of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry.  With  a  detachment  of  fifteen  skirm- 
ishers he  separated  from  his  regiment  and  brigade  at  blockhouse  No.  14,  and 
striking  a  road,  probably  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  marched  into  the  city 
without  opposition  until  he  came  to  the  Calle  Real  in  Malate.  Along  this 
street  he  had  some  unimportant  street  fighting  until  he  came  to  the  Paseo  de 
la  Calzada,  where,  learning  that  negotiations  were  going  on  for  a  surrender, 
he  took  post  at  the  bridge  north  of  sallyport,  and  the  whole  outlying  Spanish 
force  south  of  the  Pasig  passed  by  this  small  detachment  in  hurrying  crowds. 
Captain  O'Connor  deserves  recognition  for  the  coolness  and  bravery  he  dis- 
played in  this  remarkable  adventure. 


204  SURRENDER   OF   MANILA. 

"  The  opposition  we  met  in  battle  was  not  sufficient  to  test  the  bravery 
of  our  soldiers,  but  all  showed  bravery  and  dash.  The  losses  show  that  the 
leading  regiments  of  the  First  Brigade,  Thirteenth  Minnesota  and  Twenty- 
third  Infantry,  and  the  Astor  Battery  met  the  most  serious  opposition  and 
deserve  credit  for  their  success.  The  Colorado,  California  and  Oregon  regi- 
ments, the  regulars  and  all  the  batteries  of  the  Second  Brigade  showed  such 
zeal  that  it  seems  a  pity  that  they  did  not  meet  foemen  worthy  of  their  steel." 

Mac  Arthur's  Narrative. 

General  Arthur  MacArthur,  who  commanded  the  First  Brigade,  Second 
Division,  Eighth  Corps,  in  the  operations  against  Manila,  in  his  report  on  the 
surrender  of  that  city  said  : 

"  Several  hours  before  the  operations  of  the  day  were  intended  to  com- 
mence there  was  considerable  desultory  firing  from  the  Spanish  line,  both  of 
cannon  and  small  arms,  provoked  no  doubt  by  Filipino  soldiers,  who  insisted 
upon  maintaining  a  general  fusilade  along  their  lines.  The  fire  was  not 
returned  by  our  troops,  and  when  the  formation  of  the  day  was  commenced 
things  at  the  front  were  comparatively  quiet 

"  By  8  o'clock  the  position  was  occupied,  about  9.35  the  naval  attack 
commenced,  and  some  twenty  minutes  thereafter  the  gun  of  Battery  B,  Utah 
Artillery,  opened  on  Blockhouse  14,  the  guns  of  the  Astor  Battery  having 
engaged  an  opposing  battery  some  minutes  after  the  opening  of  the  naval 
attack.  There  was  no  reply  from  the  blockhouse  or  contiguous  lines,  either 
by  guns  or  small  arms.  The  opposition  to  the  Astor  fire,  however,  was  quite 
energetic ;  but  after  a  spirited  contest  the  opposition,  consisting  probably  of 
two  pieces,  was  silenced. 

"  This  contest  was  the  only  notable  feature  of  the  first  stage  of  the 
action,  and  was  especially  creditable  to  the  organization  engaged.  The  posi- 
tion, selected  by  Lieutenant  March,  after  careful  personal  reconnoissance,  was 
perhaps  the  only  one  possible  in  the  vicinity,  and  it  was  occupied  with  great 
skill  and  held  with  commendable  firmness,  the  battery  losing  three  men 
wounded,  one  of  whom  has  since  died. 

"At  about  1 1. 20  a  United  States  flag  was  placed  upon  Blockhouse  14, 
thus  concluding  the  second  stage  of  the  action  without  opposition  and  with- 
out loss. 

"The  general  advance  was  soon  resumed.  At  a  point  just  south  of 
Singalong,  a  blockhouse  was  found  burning,  causing  a  continuous  explosion 
of  small  arms  ammunition,  which,  together  with  a  scattering  fire  from  the 
enemy,  retarded  the  advance  for  a  time.  All  difficulties  were  soon  overcome, 
however,  including  the  passage  of  the  Astor  Battery,  by  the  determined 


SURRENDER  OF  MANILA,  205 

efforts  of  Lieutenant  March  and  his  men,  assisted  by  the  infantry  of  the  Min- 
nesota regiment  over  the  gun  emplacement  which  obstructed  the  road. 

"  In  the  village  of  Singalong  the  advance  fell  under  a  loose  fire,  the 
intensity  of  which  increased  as  the  forward  movement  was  pressed,  and  very 
5oon  the  command  was  committed  to  a  fierce  combat.  This  strong  opposi- 
tion arose  at  Blockhouse  20,  of  the  Spanish  defenses. 

Minnesota  Men  in  Advance. 

"  The  advance  party,  consisting  of  men  of  the  Minnesota  regiment,  rein4 
forced  by  the  volunteers  from  the  Astor  Battery,  led  by  Lieutenant  March 
and  Captain  Sawtelle,  of  the  brigade  staff,  as  an  individual  volunteer,  reached 
a  point  within  less  than  eighty  yards  of  the  blockhouse,  but  was  obliged  to 
retire  to  the  intersecting  road  in  the  village,  at  which  point  a  hasty  work  was 
improvised  and  occupied  by  a  firing  line  of  about  fifteen  men.  Aside  from 
conspicuous  individual  actions  in  the  first  rush,  the  well-regulated  conduct  of 
this  firing  line  was  the  marked  feature  of  the  contest,  and  it  is  proposed,  if 
possible,  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the  men  engaged  with  a  view  to  recom- 
mend them  for  special  distinction. 

"  At  about  1.30  P.M.  all  firing  had  ceased,  and  two  scouting  parties  volun- 
tarily led  by  Captain  Sawtelle  and  Lieutenant  March,  soon  thereafter  reported 
the  retreat  of  the  adversary.  The  city  was  entered  without  further  incident " 

In  his  report,  Major  General  F.  V.  Greene,  who  commanded  the  Second 
Brigade,  describes  in  detail  the  part  performed  by  his  command  in  the  battles 
about  Manila,  recapitulating  in  the  following : 

"This  brigade  reached  Manila  Bay  July  1 7th;  landed  and  established 
camp  July  I9th-2ist;  was  attacked  by  the  Spaniards  July  3ist,  August  ist, 
August  2d,  and  August  5th ;  led  the  advance  in  the  attack  and  capture  of 
Manila,  August  1 3th.  Our  losses  were  sixteen  killed  and  sixty-six  wounded. 
It  is  impossible  to  give  any  accurate  figure  of  the  losses  of  the  Spaniards^  but 
it  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  their  losses  from  August  1st  to  I3th  were  at 
least  forty  killed  and  100  wounded. 

"  The  manner  in  which  the  troops  performed  their  duties,  whether  fight- 
ing, working  in  the  trenches  or  sitting  still  under  fire,  with  strict  orders  not 
to  return  it,  is  worthy  of  the  very  highest  praise."  \ 

General  Greene's  brigade  consisted  of  the  First  Colorado,  First  Nebraska 
and  Tenth  Pennsylvania,  and  the  First  and  Battalions  of  the  Eighteenth  In- 
fantry ;  Batteries  A  and  B,  of  the  Utah  Artillery;  a  detachment  of  Company 
A,  Engineer  Battalion ;  First  California,  First  and  Third  Battalions,  Third  Ar- 
tillery ;  Company  Aj  Engineer  Battalion. 

Rev.  Joseph  L.  Hunter,  Chaplain  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 


206  SURRENDER   OF   MANILA, 

in  a  letter  to  a  friend  gives  an  interesting  picture  of  life  in  the  Philippines 
since  the  fall  of  Manila.  He  writes  : 

"  Since  we  left  Mt.  Gretna  for  the  Philippines  we  have  lost  our  regimental 
number  and  have  throughout  been  known  and  honored  as  the  f  Pennsylvania 
boys/  and  all  classes  unite  in  the  effort  to  make  it  pleasant  for  the  Keystone 
State  soldiers.  While  we  have  thus  been  the  recipients  of  the  favors  that 
belong  to  the  State,  we  have  tried  to  merit  them  and  reflect  honor  on  our 
State. 

"  We  have  met  Pennsylvanians  everywhere,  and  we  think  at  least  100,- 
OOO,OOO  people  have  told  us  that  they  or  their  parents  or  grandparents  lived 
in  or  passed  through  Pennsylvania  at  some  time  in  their  lives.  These  all 
know  us  and  want  to  know  us,  and  we  want  to  know  them.  When  we  go 
back  to  Pennsylvania,  as  we  hope  and  pray  we  soon  may,  many  will  appre- 
ciate it  as  they  never  did  before,  and  they  will  settle  down  and  end  their  days 
in  some  part  of  our  grand  old  Commonwealth.  We  are  fond  of  Philadelphia, 
because  we  have  met  the  'most  genial  people  from  Philadelphia  everywhere. 

"  But  I  must  tell  you  about  ourselves.  At  present  the  Tenth  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers'  headquarters  are  in  the  municipal  building,  Parque  de  Bom- 
berus,  Santa  Cruz,  District  of  New  Manila.  Companies  B  and  K  are  also 
here.  Companies  D  and  E  are  100  yards  north,  at  a  bank  on  the  Escolta. 
Major  Bierer  and  the  others  are  at  the  Presidio,  guarding  the  prison.  They 
have  over  2,000  prisoners  for  various  crimes.  Yesterday  152  were  released 
by  the  United  States  investigating  officers,  and  you  cannot  imagine  how  they 
made  the  air  ring  with  their  *  Viva  Americanos ! '  They  were  political  pri- 
soners, and  some  of  them  were  in  for  life. 

"  The  United  States  cannot  keep  men  in  prison  who  tried  to  gain  their 
country's  liberty.  The  St.  Paul  arrived  yesterday  with  more  troops  and 
much  mail.  The  free  copies  of  your  paper  sent  us  have  been  a  great  boon  to 
all  of  us.  Nearly  all  are  out  of  money,  and  even  if  we  had  it  we  could  not 
very  well  send  for  papers,  as  we  were  unable  to  pay  for  them.  Pay  day  will 
be  here  soon. 

"  The  pay  rolls  are  all  ready  now,  and  as  soon  as  we  get  our  pay  we  are 
ready  to  go  home ;  but  the  transports  are  being  sent  home  and  we  are  now 
resigned  to  a  two  months'  sojourn  here  at  least — we  will  be  glad  to  get  away 
±hen." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

An  Officer  of  the  United  States  Ship  Raleigh  Tells   How 
She  Fired  the  First  Shot. 

HE  most  interesting  accounts  of  our  naval  operations  in  the  Philip- 
pines  are   from  officers  on  board  the  ships  that  were  engaged. 
When  the  warship  Raleigh  arrived  in  the  United  States  one  of  her 
officers  was  asked  to  give  an  account  of  her  exploits  in  the  mem- 
orable battle  of  May  1st.     He  commented  as  follows: 

"  To  tell  the  story  of  the  Raleigh  I  would  need  to  tell  more  than  her 
experience  at  Manila  Bay.  She  did  her  part  on  that  occasion  nobly,  her  heavy 
armament  standing  her  in  excellent  stead.  She  fired  the  first  shot  and  came 
very  near  firing  the  last,  doing  her  full  share  of  the  fighting  and  discharging 
her  guns  to  splendid  effect.  She  performed  important  duties  in  the  turbulent 
days  following  the  1st  of  May,  but  none  of  these  is  the  most  remarkable 
performance  of  the  little  craft.  She  has  been  absent  from  the  United  States 
a  trifle  over  two  years,  and  in  this  time  has  been  attached  to  three  different 
squadrons,  has  protected  the  interests  of  the  United  States  against  four  differ- 
ent flags  and  has  made  a  cruising  record  almost  as  striking  as  the  Oregon 

Chased  Filibusters  in  Florida  Bay. 

"  Two  years  and  a  half  ago  the  Raleigh  was  first  attached  to  Admiral 
Bunce's  fleet  of  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron,  during  which  time  she  was 
engaged  in  chasing  filibusters  in  Florida  Bay.  She  had  a  number  of  exciting 
experiences  there  that  were  interesting,  but  unimportant  in  the  light  of  her 
more  recent  work.  While  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  she  received  orders  to  proceed  to 
the  New  York  navy  yard.  In  April,  1 897,  shortly  after  her  arrival  at  the 
navy  yard,  she  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Europe  to  the  Mediterranean, 
and  join  the  European  squadron,  as  the  relief  of  the  Cincinnati. 
,  "  She  has  not  touched  an  American  port  since  until  she  reached  New 
'York  last  Sunday.  She  passed  through  the  Mediterranean,  stopping  at 
various  points  and  finally  joine4  Admiral  Selfridge's  squadron  to  protect 
American  interests  during  the  Armenian  riots. 

"  She  spent  several  months  on  the  coast  of  Asiatic  Turkey  and  Assyria, 
and  then  received  orders  to  visit  all  the  ports  on  the  Atlantic  and  Mediterra- 
nean coasts  of  Morocco,  on  account  of  the  discourteous  treatment  accorded 

207 


208  THE   RALEIGH   FIRED  THE   FIRST  SHOT. 

our  consular  representatives.  The  Raleigh  then  returned  to  Smyrna,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  December,  1897,  the  officers  on  board  were  very  much  sur- 
prised to  receive  orders  to  join  the  Asiatic  squadron  under  command  of  Com- 
modore Dewey,  then  lying  at  Hong  Kong. 

"  This  was  in  anticipation  of  trouble  with  Spain,  and  with  our  arrival  in 
Hong  Kong  ends  the  first  chapter  of  the  story — a  chapter  not  lacking  in 
excitement  and  interest,  since  we  were  engaged  in  protecting  the  interests  of 
the  United  States  against  Cuban  filibusters,  against  Armenian  outrages  and 
against  Moroccan  arrogance,  with  real  trouble  liable  to  follow  at  any  time ; 
but  a  chapter  which  pales  into  insignificance  compared  with  our  later 
experience. 

"We  arrived  in  Hong  Kong  early  in  February,  1898,  and  began  the 
second  chapter.  We  remained  there  watching  the  course  of  events  and 
making  secret  preparations  for  war  during  the  two  months  that  followed. 
We  might  have  remained  longer  had  not  England  turned  us  out  with  her 
proclamation  of  neutrality.  We  were  then  homeless,  with  no  where  to  turn 
save  Manila,  and  the  prospect  of  a  warm  welcome  there. 

Cruising  Around  China. 

"  We  went  to  Mirs  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  China.  There  a  council  of  war 
was  convened  by  the  Admiral,  which  was  attended  by  the  commanding 
officers  of  the  fleet.  I  think  the  suggestions  of  our  commanding  officer  were 
very  prominent,  and  that  his  plans  were  carried  out  to  a  considerable  extent. 
I  do  not  mean  to  detract  from  another's  service,  but  to  give  Captain  Coghlan 
credit.  We  then  started  for  Manila. 

"  The  city  is  located  thirty  miles  from  the  China  Sea  on  Manila  Bay. 
At  the  entrance  to  the  bay  is  Corregidor  Island.  It  is  in  the  centre  of  the 
bay,  with  a  channel  on  either  side,  the  Boca  Grande  and  the  Boca  Chica.  It 
was  decided  by  the  Admiral  and  commanding  officers  that  it  was  most  expe- 
dient to  enter  the  bay  through  the  Boca  Grande,  it  being  the  wider  of  the  two. 
This  we  did.  Thus  on  the  left  end  was  the  Corregidor  Island ;  on  the  right 
side  Elfrire.  The  passage  between  them  was  supposed  to  be  mined  by  the 
Spaniards.  We  scarcely  expected  to  find  any  mines  in  water  of  this  depth 
and  current.  Our  fleet  had  some  misgivings  about  running  over  these  mines, 
but  the  Rubicon  had  to  be  crossed. 

"  The  flagship  Olympia  was  in  the  lead ;  the  Baltimore  second,  and  the 
Raleigh  third.  As  we  entered  all  the  lights  were  turned  out  on  Corregidor 
Island.  All  the  ships  of  our  fleet  had  their  lights  out.  We  hoped  to  get  in 
undiscovered  by  the  battery  on  the  island,  but  as  we  passed  in  through  the 
Boca  Grande  the  battery  opened  fire  on  the  Raleigh,  which  had  then  come 


THE   RALEIGH  FIRED   THE  FIRST   SHOT.  209 

up  abreast  of  her.  The  orders  were  to  return  any  fire,  and  we  at  once 
responded  with  our  starboard  5 -inch  gun,  under  command  of  Lieutenant 
Baden,  who  thus  fired  the  first  gun  of  the  battle. 

"  The  fleet  steamed  on  in  single  column,  the  Olympia,  Baltimore,  Raleigh 
Petrel,  Concord,  Boston  and  the  McCulloch.  The  entrance  of  the  bay  was 
passed  about  midnight  of  April  30,  and  Manila  reached  about  dawn.  We 
were  steaming  along  within  4,400  yards  of  the  Spanish  fleet  when  the  Span- 
iards  opened  fire  on  our  fleet.  It  was  fully  ten  minutes  before  it  was 
returned. 

"  We  waited  till  we  drew  in  a  little  nearer,  then  using  our  starboard 
battery  we  let  them  have  it.  We  passed  up  to  Manila  and  turned  in  and 
came  back,  giving  them  the  port.  We  ran  over  the  same  course  five  different 
times,  each  time  getting  a  little  closer.  Towards  the  close  of  the  battle  we 
were  about  1600  yards  from  the  Spaniards. 

"  In  the  early  part  of  the  engagement  the  fire  of  almost  the  entire  fleet 
was  centered  on  the  Reina  Cristina,  Montijo's  flagship,  which  was  set  on  fire. 
By  means  of  marine  glasses  we  could  look  over  and  see  the  men  falling  over 
the  side  of  the  ship  on  the  Reina  Cristina.  Admiral  Montijo  shifted  his  flag 
over  to  the  Castilla.  Her  smokestacks  were  soon  shot  away  and  she  was 
set  afire,  and  Montijo  again  shifted  his  flag  back  to  the  Reina  Cristina.  The 
two  were  soon  shot  to  pieces. 

Ran  Back  After  Firing. 

"  The  Isla  de  Cuba,  the  Isla  de  Luzon  and  the  Don  Juan  de  Ulloa  only 
remained.  These  took  refuge  just  back  of  the  navy-yard,  from  which  position 
they  sallied  out,  fired  a  volley  and  retired  again.  Finally  the  Concord  and 
Petrel,  the  two  light  draught  ships,  were  sent  in  to  silence  them,  and  forced 
them  to  scuttle  and  abandon  them. 

"  During  the  engagement  the  Raleigh  maintained  an  incessant  fire, 
inflicting  especial  damage.  Her  battery  is  decidedly  greater  than  that  of  any 
ship  in  the  fleet.  The  Raleigh  is,  in  fact,  the  heaviest  armored  ship  in  the 
navy  for  her  size.  The  next  day  on  account  of  her  effective  work  on  May  I 
she  was  sent  down  to  Corregidor  Island  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  bat- 
tery there.  Lieutenant  Rodman  was  sent  ashore  on  this  island  to  receive  the 
surrender,  in  company  with  an  interpreter  and  a  Spanish  hostage.  After 
some  parley  we  received  the  surrender  and  retired.  Four  days  later  the 
Raleigh  was  again  called  on.  Then  followed  the  much-talked-of  Irene 
incident. 

"  The  Raleigh  and  the  Concord  were  ordered  by  the  Admiral  to  go  over 
to  Subig  Bay  to  receive  the  surrender  of  a  number  of  men  there  on  Grande 
14-D 


210  THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST  SHOT. 

fsland  Just  as  she  entered  the  bay  they  descried  the  Irene.  As  soon  as  the 
Irene  saw  us  she  slipped  her  anchor  and  got  out  in  a  great  hurry. 

"  As  Subig  bay  is  a  point  that  no  foreign  vessel  hardly  ever  visits,  an 
explanation  was  asked.  To  justify  themselves  the  Germans  claimed  that  this 
Spanish  army  post  of  several  hundred  men  were  subject  to  the  mercy  of  the 
Filipinos.  The  Admiral  claimed  that  he  had  heard  the  Filipinos  would  deal 
severely  with  the  Spanish  garrison,  so  for  humanity's  sake  he  sent  the  Irene 
there  to  protect  the  Spaniards.  It  was  a  piece  of  meddlesome  interference, 
and  the  Irene  proved  it  to  be  so.  When  she  saw  the  American  ships  comingj 
in  she  realized  her  position  and  got  out. 

"  The  rest  of  our  work  was  unimportant.  We  helped  in  two  or  three 
small  captures,  but  received  not  a  shot  from  the  enemy.  In  fact,  only  once 
was  the  Raleigh  struck.  This  was  when  a  Spanish  shell  shortly  after  the 
great  fight  began  passed  clear  through  the  starboard  whaleboat  and  glanced 
off  the  shield  of  one  of  our  6-pound  guns.  Not  a  casualty  was  experienced. 

Gave  Her  a  Royal  Send-off. 

"  We  left  Manila  on  December  15.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  though  a  trifle 
hot.  We  got  the  order  to  return  home,  and  signaled  the  Admiral  we  were 
ready  to  start.  He  signaled  to  get  under  way,  and  every  ship  of  the  fleet 
stood  ready  to  give  us  a  royal  send-off.  With  our  homeward-bound  pennant 
flying  we  steamed  completely  around  the  squadron,  each  ship  giving  us  a 
cheer  and  a  salute  as  we  passed.  It  made  the  tears  start  to  hear  them. 

"We  were  off  on  our  I3,ooo-mile  journey,  a  journey  that  took  us  four 
months  to  complete,  though  we  might  have  made  it  in  sixty  days.  The  Navy 
Department  gave  the  captain  almost  absolute  discretion  as  to  the  time  and 
where  the  Raleigh  should  stop,  and  he  proceeded  by  easy  stages. 

"  Our  first  stop  was  at  Singapore,  on  the  Malay  peninsula,  where  he 
went  on  dry  dock  the  26th  of  December,  1898.  Here  we  spent  about  ten 
days,  feted  on  every  hand.  We  were  entertained  by  the  Prince  of  Wales' 
West  Yorkshire  Regiment  at  Christmas  luncheon.  The  following  day  we 
were  entertained  by  the  British  Army  Post  at  that  place.  We  were  also 
entertained  by  the  English  Club  and  the  American  and  English  consuls.  On 
New  Year's  Day  we  were  invited  to  lunch  with  the  Sultan  of  Johore,  a  young 
man  of  about  twenty-five  years.  He  entertained  us  royally. 

"  Our  next  stop  was  at  Columbo,  on  the  island  of  Ceylon.  While  there 
we  met  a  number  of  American  globe-trotters.  We  were  again  entertained 
there  by  the  British  Army  Post.  This  was  repeated  in  Bombay,  where  we 
spent  a  week,  and  entertained  all  the  while  in  the  same  lavish  manner.  Our 
next  port  was  Aden,  Arabia.  We  spent  a  week  there,  and  were  liberally 


THE   RALEIGH   FIRED  THE   FIRST  SHOT.  211 

entertained.  The  Derbyshire  Regiment  gave  us  a  grand  banquet,  at  which 
the  health  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  was  drunk.  The  pleasing 
feature  of  it  all  was  their  evident  sincerity. 

"  The  next  port  was  an  Egyptian  one,  that  of  Alexandria.  From  there 
we  went  to  Malta,  where  the  British  Mediterranean  squadron,  the  flower  of 
the  British  navy,  containing  eleven  battleships  of  14,000  tons,  lay.  In  addi- 
tion there  were  a  number  of  armored  cruisers.  We  had  as  many  invitations 
to  banquets  as  we  could  accept.  At  the  banquets  on  board  the  British  ships 
^an  interesting  feature  occurred.  Wine  was  passed  around,  and  when  all  the 
glasses  were  filled  a  toast  was  given  of  '  The  Queen,  God  Bless  Her/  and  the 
band  immediately  struck  up  '  God  Save  the  Queen.' 

"  At  one  of  these  banquets  the  same  thing  was  done  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  with  the  words,  '  God  Save  the  President  of  the  United 
States.'  On  board  ship,  and  at  the  army  posts,  they  had  the  American  flags 
entwined  with  the  British  and  every  manifestation  of  friendship  made.  As 
we  went  into  the  port  of  Malta  the  Britishers  on  shore  greeted  us  with  an 
outburst  of  applause.  It  is  very  pleasing  to  the  Americans  to  see  that  their 
British  cousins  recognize  the  American  nation  as  a  worthy  descendant. 

Friendly  Salute  to  the  Spanish  Flag. 

"  From  Malta  we  went  to  Algiers  and  thence  to  Gibraltar.  As  we  were 
coming  out  of  the  harbor  of  Gibraltar,  Admiral  Camara's  fleet  was*  just  astern 
of  us.  We  slowed  down  until  his  flagship,  the  Carlos  V.,  got  abreast  of  us. 
Then  we  hoisted  the  Spanish  flag  and  fired  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns.  This 
was  considered  quite  a  graceful  overture  of  peace  on  the  part  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, as  diplomatic  relations  had  not  been  resumed  between  the  two  countries. 
We  did  not  know  whether  the  Spaniards  were  going  to  return  the  salute  or 
not,  but  after  a  lapse  of  five  minutes  we  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  go  up  at 
the  Spanish  mainmast,  and  the  salute  was  returned,  gun  for  gun. 

"The  Spanish  squadron  comprises  about  five  ships  and  is  the  same 
squadron  that  passed  through  the  Suez  Canal.  We  left  Gibraltar  about  5 
o'clock,  and  about  fifteen  minutes  after  our  departure,  Camara  followed.  We 
went  west,  and  they  pursued  an  easterly  course.  We  sailed  for  the  Azores 
and  then  went  to  Barcelona.  We  had  a  rough  trip  over,  the  only  rough 
weather  we  experienced,  and  landed  in  New  York  just  two  years  after  our 
start.  In  the  last  twelve  months  we  had  made  a  great  record,  traveling  over 
36,000  miles,  or  nearly  100  miles  a  day. 

"  We  made  another  wonderful  record.  During  an  absence  of  three  years 
only  one  death  occurred,  and  that  was  a  case  of  a  boatswain's  mate,  who  was 
broken  down  in  the  service.  Not  a  single  other  man  of  300  souls  was  even 


212  THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST   SHOT. 

seriously  ill.  This  is  not  the  least  remarkable  feature  of  a  most  remarkable 
trip  of  a  most  remarkable  ship." 

The  chief  naval  constructor  of  the  United  States,  Philip  Hichborn,  imme- 
diately after  the  battle  of  Manila  instituted  a  system  of  scientific  and  practical 
examination  of  the  performances  of  our  o«vn  ships  and  wounds  resulting 
from  the  engagement  with  the  enemy,  and  also  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
damage  done  by  our  own  fire  upon  the  vessels  of  their  opponents. 

The  men  behind  the  guns  vindicated  themselves  as  the  first  element  of 
advantage  in  the  successful  engagement  of  the  great  fighting  machines  of  a 
modern  navy.  It  has  been  found  that  seamanship  without  marksmanship 
counts  for  little  in  a  naval  battle  of  to-day.  The  examination  of  the  remains 
of  the  splendid  machines  of  Cervera  reveals  this. 

Set  on  Fire  by  Exploding  Shells. 

Chief  Constructor  Hichborn,  commenting  upon  the  points  of  superiority 
in  our  own  ships,  said  :  "  It  is  shown  by  the  official  reports  that  the  most 
serious  obstacle  the  Spanish  crews  had  to  contend  with  on  their  own  ships 
was  the  constant  fires  breaking  out  in  the  woodwork  caused  by  the  explosion 
of  our  shells. 

"  When  I  became  a  member  of  the  original  Naval  Advisory  Board, 
appointed  by  Secretary  Hunt,  and  which  laid  the  keel  of  our  present  naval 
policy  with  respect  to  ships,  I  advocated  the  construction  of  every  ship 
throughout  of  fireproof  material  exclusively.  It  was  shown  in  the  battle  off 
Santiago  harbor  that  the  Spanish  gunners  were  compelled  in  the  very  height 
of  the  engagement  to  abandon  their  guns  in  order  to  extinguish  the  fires  on 
their  ships.  At  times  they  were  so  enveloped  in  smoke  that  they  were  not 
only  driven  from  their  guns,  but  finally  from  their  ships." 

Chief  Constructor  Hichborn  said  that  the  reports  state  that  the  Viscaya, 
one  of  the  best  ships  in  the  fleet,  was  afire  fore  and  aft  at  the  same  time,  and 
sent  up  columns  of  smoke  which  could  be  seen  from  our  vessels,  when  the 
firing  was  most  severe.  Mr.  Hichborn  added  that  no  distraction  on  account 
of  fires  on  board  interfered  with  the  work  of  our  gunners.  A  shell  explod- 
ing in  the  ward  room  of  one  of  our  vessels  did  not  even  cause  one.  So  far 
as  known  not  one  of  our  ships  took  fire. 

"The  experts/'  said  he,  "  of  other  navies  have  observed  this  great  advan- 
tage, and  will  profit  by  the  experience. 

"  The  foreign  designers  and  builders  of  ships  will  learn  other  advantages 
which  our  navy  possesses.  It  has  been  admitted  for  some  time  that  our  ves- 
sels were  unmatchable  theoretically.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  they  now 
know  it  practically." 


THE   RALEIGH    FIRED   THE   FIRST   SHOT.  2tt 

Commodore  Hichborn,  continuing,  said : 

"  One  of  the  most  important  questions  affecting  the  ships  to  be  added 
to  our  naval  force  in  the  future  is  whether  or  not  we  shall  continue  the  policy, 
definitely  decided  on  when  the  work  was  commenced,  of  building  them  with 
unsheathed  steel  bottoms.  At  that  time  a  great  deal  of  misapprehension 
existed,  based  on  insufficiently  established  conclusions,  which  have  since  been 
demonstrated  to  be  faulty.  It  is  now  known,  for  instance,  that  galvanic 
action,  upon  which  so  much  stress  was  laid,  is  largely  a  bugbear,  and  that  all 
ill  effects  from  this  cause  can  be  avoided  by  the  practice  of  very  moderate 
precautions  compared  with  what  was  thought  necessary  a  few  years  ago. 

"The  Bureau  of  Construction  and  Repairs,"  said  Mr.  Hichborn,  "has 
from  the  first  consistently  advocated  sheathing  the  bottoms  of  all  cruising 
ships  intended  for  foreign  service,  and  there  are  few  reports  on  file  from  ships 
cruising  in  foreign  waters  that  do  not  distinctly  justify  its  attitude  on  this 
question.  The  tale  is  always  the  same,  except  when  intensified  by  tropical 
waters.  Within  a  month  or  two  after  the  ship  leaves  the  dock  the  consump- 
tion of  coal  for  ordinary  cruising  speeds  begins  to  increase,  and  generally  it 
will  increase  as  much  as  25  per  cent,  before  the  ship  has  been  six  months  out 
of  dock,  while  at  the  same  time,  should  emergency  require  it,  she  would  be 
utterly  unable  to  develop  her  rated  full  speed. 

Sheathing  for  Ships. 

"  All  of  the  principal  naval  powers  with  the  exception  of  the  United 
States  now  fit  sheathing  on  many  of  their  vessels,  and  of  the  vessels  recently 
collected  in  Asiatic  waters  almost  all  have  wooden  sheathed  bottoms.  In  the 
British  navy  list  there  are  eighty-two  sheathed  ships,  not  counting  a  large 
number  of  composite  gunboats,  and  of  these  eighty-two,  nineteen  have  been 
built  during  the  last  five  years.  Among  these  latter  is  the  Renown,  a  first- 
class  battleship  of  12,300  tons  displacement,  and  the  Powerful  and  Terrible, 
the  two  largest  unarmored  cruisers  in  the  world,  they  being  of  14,300  tons 
displacement. 

"  This,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  is  the  result  of  a  larger  experience  in 
the  practical  value  of  sheathed  bottoms  than  any  other  power  has  had.  The 
first  British  experiment  in  this  line  was  applied  to  the  Inconstant  in  1868. 
She  is  a  large  ship,  which  was  designed  for  foreign  cruises  at  what  was  then 
considered  extremely  high  speed,  and  the  fact  was  recognized  that,  starting 
with  a  clean  bottom,  her  speed  would  be  much  reduced  even  before  reaching 
a  distant  station. 

"  The  sheathing  as  applied  to  her  bottom  was  very  costly,  but  it  did  not 
prove  as  satisfactory  as  the  modern  practice,  fitted  at  very  much  less  expense. 


214  THE   RALEIGH   FIRED  THE   FIRST    SHOT. 

Until  a  few  years  ago  it  was  considered  absolutely  necessary  to  fit  two  courses 
of  plank  on  the  outside  of  the  iron  or  steel  skin  of  the  ship,  the  inner  one 
bolted  to  the  said  skin  and  the  outer  one,  which  was  arranged  to  break  joints 
with  the  inner,  fastened  with  screw  bolts,  which  should  not  penetrate  to  the 
metal.  Experience  has  proved  this  elaborate  system  to  be  unnecessary,  and 
now  sheathing  is  fitted  in  a  single  course,  generally  from  three  to  four  inches, 
thick,  which  is  bolted  directly  by  brass  bolts  to  the  steel  skin.  The  spacesc 
left  between  the  inner  surface  of  the  wood  and  the  outer  surface  of  the  steel 
are  filled  with  white  or  red  lead,  pumped  in  under  pressure,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent accumulation  of  water  behind  the  sheathing.  When  this  system  was 
first  used,  galvanized  iron  bolts  were  used  for  fastening,  and  it  was  found  that 
the  only  damage  caused  by  .galvanic  action  was  in  these  bolts,  and  since  the 
substitution  of  brass  bolts  no  difficulty  has  been  experienced  at  all,  ships 
returning  from  long  cruises  without  docking  with  their  bottoms  in  practically 
as  good  condition  as  when  they  started. 

"  The  draft  of  water  of  a  ship  is  not  appreciably  affected  by  fitting 
sheathing,  as  its  weight  is  nearly  counterbalanced  by  the  increased  volume, 
while  the. increased  displacement,  considered  as  a  factor  in  resistance  to  speed, 
is  much  more  than  compensated  for  by  the  fact  of  the  bottom  remaining  clean 
and  smooth.  Practically  the  only  factor  to  be  considered,  then,  is  the  expense 
of  fitting  the  sheathing,  and  it  can  easily  be  shown  from  the  reports  of  our 
ships  on  foreign  service  that  the  increased  coal  consumption  plus  the  docking 
bills  has  often  amounted  to  more  in  a  single  cruise  than  would  have  sufficed 
to  fit  sheathing  to  their  bottoms.  Moreover,  with  large  ships  the  expenses 
incident  to  steel  bottoms  increases  in  much  more  than  direct  ratio  to  their 
size,  while  the  cost  of  sheathing  does  not  so  increase. 

"  It  is  much  to  be  hoped,"  said  Mr.  Hichborn,  "  that  the  policy  of  our 
Navy  Department  in  this  respect  will  be  changed  and  that  in  future  all  our 
ships  intended  for  foreign  service  will  have  their  bottoms  sheathed  and  cop- 
pered." 

How  the  Jackies  Amuse  Themselves. 

It  will  not  be  inappropriate  in  this  connection,  to  give  give  some  account 
of  sailors'  sports  on  shipboard.  There  is  a  general  impression  that  it  is  only 
when  Jack  Tar  gets  shore  leave  that  he  has  any  relaxation.  Nothing  is  further 
from  the  truth,  for  the  jolly  sailor  lad  can  always  make  fun  no  matter  where 
he  is.  One  of  the  chief  pleasures  of  the  German  warships  now  at  Manila 
with  Rear  Admiral  Dewey,  of  the  United  States  navy,  is  the  ceremony  of 
baptism.  One  might  suppose  from  this  that  the  German  seaman  is  especially 
pious,  but  it  is  only  necessary  to  see  the  ceremony  to  observe  that  there  is 
more  fun  than  piety  in  it 


THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST   SHOT.  215 

"  After  every  long  voyage  it  is  the  custom  to  '  baptize  '  the  sailor  who 
has  been  the  '  best'  during  the  trip — that  is,  who  has  saved  the  most  money 
and  drank  the  least  grog.  If  this  honor  was  intended  to  promote  decorum 
and  sobriety  it  is  a  most  dismal  failure.  It  has  just  the  contrary  effect,  for 
every  sailor,  to  avoid  the  inevitable  ducking,  spends  his  earnings  and  lets  no 
schnapps  escape.  One  object  of  this  custom  is  to  encourage  liberality  and  a 
hail-fellow-well-met  spirit  among  the  crew. 

"The  ceremony  of  baptism  is  very  interesting.  Every  officer  of  the 
American  fleet  at  Manila  attended  it  if  he  were  lucky  enough  to  get  an  invi- 
tation. A  throne  is  rigged  up  for  Father  Neptune,  and  an  immense  tub  is 
improvised  out  of  a  sail  or  tarpaulin  on  the  deck.  This  is  filled  with  water, 
and  around  the  edges  stand  variously  dressed  people  in  all  sorts  of  disguises, 
mostly  like  those  worn  by  Calithumpian  paraders  in  the  United  States.  At  a 
given  signal  the  monitor  is  ordered  by  Neptune  to  read  a  list  of  the  offender's 
crimes,  which  usually  consist  of  undue  frugality  and  sobriety.  Neptune 
waves  his  trident  and  issues  a  stern  order,  which  is  executed  by  his  grotesque 
minions,  who  catch  the  luckless  wight,  all  dressed,  by  the  neck  and  pitch  him 
headforemost  into  the  big  basin,  where  he  is  allowed  to  flounder  around  till 
thoroughly  soaked. 

An  Amusing  Athletic  Game. 

kt  The  most  interesting  athletic  game  aboard  ship  is  the  obstacle  race. 
The  chief  task  is  to  get  through  life  preservers  swung  from  a  rope  and  oscil- 
lating with  every  lurch  of  a  ship.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  even  a  trained 
athlete  to  get  through  one,  if  the  sea  is  at  all  nasty,  without  making  most 
ludicrous  failures. 

"  Slinging  the  monkey  is  a  name  given  to  a  performance  that  justifies 
its  peculiar  name.  The  legs  of  the  '  monkey ' — usually  a  careful,  methodical 
man — are  first  of  all  slung  up  by  means  of  ropes  and  pulleys,  Then  the 
victim  is  given  a  piece  of  chalk,  and  with  this  he  is  expected  to  lean  forward 
and  write  dictated  love  letters  on  the  ship's  deck.  Or  he  may  be  called  upon 
to  show  his  skill  as  an  artist. 

"  At  the  same  time,  you  can't  expect  fine  technique  and  firmness  of  out- 
line, considering  the  circumstances  ;  for  one  thing,  the  draughtsman  hasn't  a 
'free  hand.  The  knowing  'monkey'  will  probably  wait  until  the  ship  has 
lurched  one  way,  then  he  will  attempt  a  little  lightning  sketching  before  she' 
has  time  to  right  herself.  Occasionally  it  is  not  the  chalk,  but  the  artist's 
nose,  which  scrapes  the  deck. 

"A  delightful  uncertainty  always  attends  any  function  at  sea — athletic 
or  otherwise — for  the  lurch  of  th-  ship  will  give  peculiar  force  to  the  adage 


216  THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST   SHOT. 

that  the  '  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  and  men  gang  aft  agley.'  This  gives  a 
peculiar  zest  to  the  egg-and-spoon  race.  The  starters  are  placed  in  a  row 
and  each  is  provided  with  an  egg  which  is  to  be  carried  in  a  spoon  held  at 
arm's  length.  The  one  reaching  the  winning  post  first  with  egg  intact  is  de- 
clared the  winner. 

"  Needless  to  say,  this  race  is  not  necessarily  to  the  swift ;  rather  is  it  to 
the  adroit  and  strategic.  It  is  very  funny  to  watch  the  competitors.  One 
will  hold  the  spoon  low  down,  so  that  if  the  egg  does  fall  out,  it  won't  get 
broken;  another  will  make  a  frantic  dash,  trusting  to  luck  and  the  ship's 
steadiness  ;  while  a  third  will  perhaps  deposit  the  egg  in  some  one's  lap, 
greatly  to  his  disgust. 

"  The  wheelbarrow  race  on  board  ship  is  ten  times  as  amusing  as  it  is  at 
a  country  fair.  The  barrows  are  in  this  instance  seamen  who  do  not  fear  a 
rush  of  '  brains  to  the  head  '  and  do  not  mind  getting  down  on  their  hands 
while  their  legs  are  held  high  in  air  and  used  to  propel  the  owner  toward  the 
goal.  The  rolling  of  the  vessel  pitches  wheelbarrow  and  pusher  together  in 
a  heap,  convulsing  the  onlookers  with  laughter. 

Story  of  a  Wonderful  Harpist. 

"  Many  a  story  is  told  of  the  stray  bits  of  life  history,  romance  or  trag- 
edy, seldom  or  never  comedy,  which  occasionally  become  known  on  board 
men-o'-war.  Men  who  have  been  unfortunate,  or  who  have  been  weak,  or 
who  were  foolish,  often  seek  refuge  on  board  these  boats,  knowing  that  the  dis- 
cipline will  do  them  good  and  the  experiences  of  new  life  will  freshen  and 
strengthen  them  in  needed  ways. 

"  One  story  is  told  of  a  Jack  Tar  who  developed  into  a  most  wonderful 
harpist.  It  happened  that  at  Newport  the  officers  of  one  of  the  cruisers  gave 
a  luncheon  aboard  to  some  of  the  fashionable  folk  of  that  resort  One  of  the 
ladies  of  the  party,  a  harpist,  had  her  instrument  brought  along  by  a  servant, 
and  she  played  for  the  party  in  the  mess-room.  The  music  was  exceedingly 
sweet  and  moving,  and  the  lady  was  lionized. 

"  When  she  had  concluded  her  performance  one  of  the  bluejackets  was 
called  aft  by  an  officer  to  remove  the  harp  from  the  mess-room  and  place  it 
in  the  steam-cutter,  to  be  taken  ashore.  The  bluejacket  happened  to  be  an 
ordinary  seaman  of  no  particular  account,  who  from  the  time  the  strains  from 
the  mess-room  had  struck  up  had  listened  at  the  gangway  with  a  peculiar 
light  in  his  eye.  He  was  a  Welshman^  a  member  of  the  multitudinous  Jones 
family.  He  brought  the  instrument  to  the  gangway,  hesitated  for  a  moment 
as  if  wondering  if  he  dared  or  not,  and  then  jerked  the  cover  from  the  harpv 
grabbed  a  ditty  box  for  a  seat,  and  then  sat  him  down  to  play  the  harp. 


THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST  SHOT.  217 

"  That  ancient  and  noble  instrument  is  rarely  played  in  these  days  as  this 
rough-looking  Welsh  blue-jacket  played  it.  The  strings  were  as  of  gold 
under  his  touch.  His  harp  music,  strong,  soft,  plaintive  and  altogether  beau- 
tiful, rang  over  the  ship,  and  all  of  the  mess-room  party  were  at  the  gangway 
before  half  a  dozen  chords  had  been  struck  from  the  instrument.  The  blue- 
jacket played  on,  heedless  of  the  gaze  of  the  people  from  the  after  part  of  the 
ship,  and  like  a  man  in  a  trance. 

"  The  owner  of  the  harp,  who,  of  course,  knew  masterful  music  better 
than  any  of  the  others,  dissolved  into  tears  over  the  way  the  bronzed-faced 
bluejacket  handled  the  instrument,  and  when  he  finished  he  received  a  '  hand ' 
from  the  party  that  made  him  flush  very  deeply,  but  he  was  a  man  who  did 
not  respond  to  inquiries.  How  and  where  had  he  learned  to  play  the  harp  so 
superbly  ?  Oh,  he  had  picked  it  up  years  ago — and  he  went  forward.  This 
sailor  had  joined  the  navy  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  on  board  the  receiving- 
ship  Vermont,  and  he  gave  his  occupation  as  that  of  a  clerk." 

One  afternoon  down  in  Honolulu  harbor  Admiral  Beardslee,  in  com- 
mand of  the  Pacific  Squadron  from  the  flagship  Philadelphia,  was  in  a  quandary 
because  of  the  unexpected  arrival  of  the  Australian  steamer  a  day  ahead  of 
time,  that  was  to  carry  the  fleet's  mail  to  San  Francisco.  The  admiral  had  a 
voluminous  report  to  make  on  the  situation  in  Honolulu — this  was  during  the 
last  Hawaiian  revolution — and  he  had  only  three  hours  in  which  to  draw  up 
the  report,  for  the  Australian  steamer  could  not,  of  course,  wait. 

An  Expert  on  the  Typewriter. 

The  admiral  came  out  of  his  cabin  and  told  the  officer  of  the  deck  at 
the  gangway  to  send  ashore  with  all  haste  for  somebody  who  could  take  rapid 
dictation  on  a  typewriting  machine.  A  young  landsman,  who  had  been  a 
good  deal  of  a  muff  at  "  sailoring,"  overheard  the  admiral  giving  this  order, 
and  he  walked  up  to  Beardslee,  knuckled  his  forehead  in  the  usual  manner, 
and  volunteered  to  do  the  work.  The  admiral  looked  at  the  landsman  with- 
out much  confidence  in  his  gaze. 

"  What  kind  of  a  typewriter  do  you  handle  ?  "  he  asked  the  recruit. 

"  Any  kind,"  was  the  reply. 

The  admiral  took  the  landsman  recruit  aft  and  began  to  dictate  trial 
stuff  to  the  bluejacket.  The  bluejacket  rattled  the  copy  off  in  a  style  that 
opened  the  admiral's  eyes.  Beardslee  dictated  his  report  to  the  lightning- 
swift  bluejacket  typewriter,  the  words  hardly  falling  from  his  lips  before  the 
landsman  had  them  pat.  The  admiral  took  the  pages  one  by  one.  There 
wasn't  a  mistake  in  spelling,  punctuating  or  paragraphing.  The  copy  was 
absolutely  clean,  although  the  admiral  had  dictated  at  the  rate  of  90  words  a 


218  THE   RALEIGH   FIRED  THE   FIRST   SHOT. 

minute.  The  Australian  steamer  carried  Beardslee's  report,  and  the  landsman 
was  immediately  rated  admiral's  yeoman,  or  private  secretary.  The  blue- 
jacket had  been  a  court  stenographer  in  New  York  City. 

One  night  about  three  years  ago,  when  most  of  the  officers,  including 
the  surgeon,  of  a  gunboat  lying  in  San  Francisco  harbor  were  ashore  attending 
a  social  function,  a  newly  shipped  coal  heaver,  whose  occupation  on  the  rolls 
was  that  of  a  laborer,  fell  down  the  hatchway  ladder  from  the  main  deck  to 
the  machine  shop.  There  was  no  one  in  the  machine  shop  at  the  time.  The 
coal  heaver,  with  his  legs,  the  right  one  badly  broken,  dangling  in  the  air, 
walked  on  his  hands  from  the  machine  shop  up  forward  to  the  sick  bay, 
where  some  of  the  bluejackets  picked  him  up  and  deposited  him  on  a  couch. 
The  coal  heaver  told  the  men  that  his  leg  was  broken,  and  one  of  them  rushed 
to  report  the  case  to  the  officer  of  the  deck. 

The  officer  of  the  deck  sent  for  the  apothecary.  The  apothecary  told 
the  officer  of  the  deck  that  he  didn't  have  the  skill  to  set  broken  legs.  A  big, 
indolent  marine,  a  recruit,  whose  only  capability  thus  far  had  seemed  to  con- 
sist in  the  getting  on  the  outside  of  three  very  heavy  "  squares  "  a  day,  heard 
the  excitement  from  his  hammock  where  he  was  dozing.  The  big  marine 
tumbled  out  of  his  hammock,  went  to  the  sick  bay,  and  set  the  coal  heaver's 
broken  leg  in  a  style  that  aroused  the  admiration  of  the  surgeon  when  he 
returned  to  the  ship  after  midnight. 

From  a  Circus  to  a  Warship. 

All  hands  wondered  how  the  coal  heaver  had  managed  to  walk  on  his 
hands  from  the  machine  shop  forward  to  the  sick  bay  until  he  admitted  that 
he  had  been  a  professional  acrobat  ashore,  and  that  he  had  shipped  in  the 
navy  because  the  circus  with  which  he  last  traveled  had  gone  to  pieces  in  San 
Francisco,  leaving  him  stranded  in  the  hardest  town  in  which  to  go  broke  in 
the  Western  Hemisphere.  The  big,  indolent  marine  who  set  the  coal  heaver's 
broken  leg  had  to  admit  to  the  surgeon  that  he  had  been  graduated  in  surgery 
years  before,  and  had  done  his  tour  in  several  famous  English  hospitals  before 
he  drifted  into  the  sea-soldiering  service. 

"  How  did  you  happen  to  enter  the  marine  corps  ?  "  inquired  the  surgeon. 

"  Rum,"  laconically  replied  the  marine. 

"A  bluejacket  who  put  in  a  three-year  enlistment  as  a  deck-hand,  took 
his  discharge  from  the  navy  a  couple  of  years  ago  while  his  ship  was  at 
Yokohama,  Japan,  and  got  a  job  as  a  shipping  clerk.  A  couple  of  weeks  after 
he  went  to  work  ashore  one  of  his  shipmates  was  arrested  and  locked  up, 
charged  with  stabbing  a  jinriksha  Jap.  The  sailor  was  tried  before  the  con- 
sular court,  but  before  his  trial  came  off  his  ship  left  Yokohama  for  China. 


THE   RALEIGH    FIRED  THE   FIRST   SHOT.  219 

The  former-bluejacket  conducted  his  shipmate's  defense  before  the  consular 
court,  and  he  conducted  it  so  ably  and  with  such  a  fine  knowledge  of  law 
that  his  man-'of-war's  man  client  was  acquitted.  The  former-bluejacket  lawyer 
had  been,  in  his  day,  the  junior  partner  in  a  well-known  legal  firm  in  St.  Louis. 

"  When  the  officers  of  one  of  our  cruisers  on  the  Mediterranean  station 
were  giving  a  dance  aboard  one  night  about  a  year  ago,  the  ship's  dynamo 
broke  down  and  all  the  lights  on  the  ship  went  out  at  once.  The  swell  con- 
gregation of  American  tourists  and  foreigners  were  in  the  midst  of  a  waltz 
on  the  main  deck  at  the  moment  of  the  extinguishment  of  the  lights,  and  the 
women  fell  into  a  panic. 

"  Then  a  bluejacket,  who  had  shipped  aboard  in  New  York  City  a  few 
months  before,  when  the  cruiser  started  on  her  Mediterranean  trip,  turned  up 
in  the  dynamo-room.  He  sized  up  the  dynamo  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
knew  dynamos  down  to  the  ground,  and,  while  the  officers  and  chief  gunner's 
mate  stood  by  watching  him  wonderingly,  he  made  a  few  little  adjustments 
with  a  wrench,  and  the  dynamo  started  to  whirr,  and  the  ship  immediately 
became  a  blaze  of  light  again.  The  landsman  was  down  on  the  rolls  as  a 
laborer.  But  he  had  put  in  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years  at  Mr.  Edison's 
electrical  works,  and  he  is  about  the  most  valuable  electrician—  a  chief  petty 
officer — in  the  Navy  to-day." 

THE  PEACEFUL  COLONEL. 
Dey  call  him  "Kunnel"  in  time  er  peace — 

Hit's/'  Kunnel "  all  erbout, 
But  he  des  so  private  when  war  come  roun* 

Dat  de  folks  can't  fin'  him  out! 

You  bet,  he  a  private  den, 

En  one  er  de  home  guard  men  I 

Dey  hunt  erbout 

Fer  ter  fin'  him  out, 
But  you  bet,  he  a  private  den ! 

Hit's  "Kunnel  "  dis,  en  "Kunnel"  dat, 

En  de  voters  sing  an'  shout ; 
But  de  war  don't  know  whar  he  livin'  at— 

Dey  des  can't  fin'  him  out ! 

You  bet,  he  a  private  den, 

En  one  er  de  home  guard  men ! 

He  done,  fer  sho'  I 

He  des  lay  low — 
You  bet,  he  a  private  den  ! 

— Atlanta  Constitution. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
On  Board  the  Olympia  with  Dewey. 

NDER  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  under  such  a  com- 
mander as  Admiral  Dewey,  it  is  a  privilege  and  an 
honor  for  any  man  to  serve  his  country.  Yet  little 
did  any  one  imagine  on  that  January  day  of  1898 
when  Rear  Admiral  McNair  hauled  down  his  flag 
from  the  Olympia's  masthead  and  Dewey,  then  Com- 
modore, hoisted  his  in  its  place,  that  a  Nelson  had 
come  for  victory  and  conquest.  Destined  to  greatness, 
his  looks  showed  his  determination  to  fulfill  that 
destiny.  From  the  moment  he  stepped  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Olympia 
the  men  liked  him,  and  he  had  not  been  long  among  them  before  this  feeling 
deepened  into  love  and  respect.  He  was  born  to  command,  and  he  com- 
manded in  a  way  that  won  for  him  the  hearts  of  officers  and  men. 

The  early  part  of  his  career  on  board  was  rather  uneventful,  but  not 
devoid  of  interest.  Everything  for  the  benefit  of  his  men  received  Dewey's 
earnest  attention.  Minstrel  troops,  boat-racing,  foot  and  base-ball,  and,  in 
short,  everything  in  the  line  of  amusement  was  certain  of  the  Commodore's 
patronage. 

Like  a  Thunderbolt  from  a  Clear  Sky. 

Thus  things  ran  along  smoothly  until  the  fateful  day  when  the  news 
came  that  the  battleship  Maine  had  been  blown  up  in  the  harbor  of  Havana. 
The  men  had  been  preparing  to  celebrate  Washington's  Birthday,  without 
any  thoughts  of  trouble,  when  suddenly  the  fearful  calamity  came  upon  them 
like  a  thunder-bolt  from  a  clear  sky.  It  was  a  terrible  blow.  Comrades, 
brothers,  friends  all  hurled  into  eternity  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  treachery ; 
sorrow  and  desolation  brought  to  hundreds  of  hearts  and  homes ;  gray-haired 
mothers  bewailing  the  loss  of  their  sons ;  loving  wives  eagerly  scanning  the 
papers,  dreading  yet  hopmg,  and  anxious  sweethearts  watching  for  the  return 
of  their  loved  ones.  It  is  a  picture  to  make  the  heart  ache. 

And  now  the  talk  is  of  war  and  of  drawn  swords.  Every  cablegram  is 
eagerly  watched  and  Manila  becomes  the  Mecca  of  the  U.  S.  fleet  in  Asiatic 
waters.  But  what  of  Dewey?  Quiet,  cool,  composed  but  determined,  he 
220 


ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY. 


221 


plans  and  executes  with  the  precision  of  one  that  understands  the  situation, 
and  is  capable  of  holding  the  reins  in  this  trying  moment.  Well  he  knows 
the  duties  of  his  position,  for  has  he  not  the  blood  of  a  line  of  heroes  in  his 
veins  ? 

He  knows  what  to  do  and  does  it.  Early  in  April  he  purchased  for  the 
U.  S.  Government  the  coal-laden  steamer  Nan  Shan,  and  a  few  days  later 
he  bought  the  Zafire,  the  doughty  little  steamer 
that  did  such  excellent  work  on  dispatch  duty. 

The  entire  fleet  was  ordered  to  assemble  at 
Hong  Kong.  Still  unaware  of  how  far  matters 
had  gone,  but  not  to  be  caught  napping,  Dewey 
gave  orders  to  paint  ships  "war  color"  and 
accordingly  on  the  iQth  of  April  all  the  vessels 
began  to  put  on  the  sombre  blue-black  of  battle. 

The  arrival  of  the  Baltimore  with  ammuni- 
tion was  now  anxiously  looked  forward  to.  On 
the  2 1st  of  April  she  arrived  and  was  immedi- 
ately docked  and  painted  in  preparation  for  the 
coming  struggle.  The  next  day  the  fleet  was 
to  proceed  to  Mir's  Bay,  distant  about  26  miles 
from  Hong  Kong,  but  owing  to  an  accident  to 
the  Raleigh's  engines,  she,  the  Olympia  and 
Baltimore  remained  in  Hong  Kong  until  the 
23rd,  on  which  day  the  entire  fleet  consisting  of 
nine  vessels,  six  of  which  were  in  the  fighting 
line,  assembled  at  the  afore-named  rendezvous.  • 
Quarter  watches  were  established  and  a  constant 
look-out  kept  for  an  attack  from  the  enemy.  Dur- 
ing this  most  trying  period  the  master-mind  of 
Dewey  continually  asserted  itself.  Night  and  day 
found  him  ever  on  the  alert,  watchful  and  vigilant.  INTERNATIONAL  SIGNAL  CODE. 

As  an  instance  of  his  vigilance  we  give  here  a  story  that  has  heretofore 
been  kept  from  the  public.  It  was  after  midnight,  the  second  night  after  the 
fleets'  arrival  in  Mir's  Bay ;  a  dark,  gloomy,  stormy-looking  sky  cast  a  pall 
over  the  scene.  The  vessels,  with  every  light  extinguished,  loomed  up,  in 
the  fitful  glare  of  the  lightning,  like  huge  spectres.  On  board  the  Olympia, 
everything  was  silent  as  the  grave. 

Suddenly  the  voice  o't  Commodore  Dewey  was  heard  speaking  from  the 
quarter-deck  as  calmly  as  if  ordering  a  glass  of  water,  "  What's  the  matter 
with  you  people  up  there?  Tired  of  living?  Turn  your  searchlight  on  that 


222  ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA  WITH   DEWEY. 

tug  off  your  port  bow.  Load  your  six  pounders  and  train  them  on  her. 
Move  lively."  Then  in  stentorian  tones  he  shouted  :  "  Tugboat  ahoy !  Keep 
well  off  or  I'll  blow  you  out  of  the  water.  Do  you  know  this  is  war  time  ?  " 

Above  the  noise  of  the  coming  storm  and  the  breaking  of  the  sea  against 
the  ship's  sides,  he  had  heard  the  escaping  steam  of  some  vessel  and  coming 
out  of  his  cabin  in  his  pajamas  with  eyes  and  ears  made  doubly  keen  by  love 
of  country  and  sense  of  danger,  he  espied  the  tug  before  it  was  visible  to  any 
but  the  sharpest  eye  on  board.  Although  it  proved  to  be  but  a  boat  carrying 
some  newspaper  men,  the  incident  goes  far  to  show  that  our  country  was 
leaning  on  no  broken  reed  in  placing  its  faith  and  fate  in  the  hands  of  George 
Dewey. 

April  25th  news  arrived  confirming  the*  report  that  war  had  begun  be- 
tween Uncle  Sam  and  the  Dons.  Dewey  called  a  conference  of  commanders 
and  gave  orders  that  the  fleet  be  ready  to  "  leave  and  meet  the  enemy  on 
the  2/th !  " 

It  was  an  imposing  and  impressive  picture  as  these  great,  grim  avengers 
swung  into  line  and  steamed  silently  and  solemnly  in  the  wake  of  Dewey' s 
vessel.  A  smile  of  patriotic  pride  shone  on  the  face  and  brightened  the  eyes 
of  the  brave  Commodore  as  he  glanced  back  at  the  small  but  dauntless  line 
so  steadily,  unquestioningly  following  his  lead. 

Always  on  the  Alert. 

From  the  day  of  the  squadron's  departure  for  Manila  until  after  the  great 
battle,  this  indefatigable  man  never  went  to  bed.  Sometimes  he  would  sit  in 
a  chair  and  "  snatch  a  wink,"  but  the  least  alarm  found  him  wide  awake. 
When  on  the  morning  of  April  3Oth,  Cape  Bolinao  was  sighted,  Dewey  was 
on  the  bridge  and  from  then  until  one  o'clock  next  day  he  left  that  position 
but  twice,  once  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee  and  again  on  arrival  at  Subig  Bay, 
when  he  adjourned  to  his  cabin  for  a  final  conference  with  the  captains  of  the 
other  vessels. 

Night  had  just  fallen  when  the  fleet  resumed  its  journey  after  reconnoi- 
tering  Subig  and  proceeded  very  slowly  toward  Manila  Bay.  Dewey  went 
from  lookout  to  lookout,  personally  giving  them  directions  to  keep  a  sharp 
and  vigilant  watch  for  the  enemy.  The  sky  was  continually  lit  by  flashes  of 
lightning,  and  these  toward  the  shore  greatly  resembled  signals  flashed  from 
mountain  to  mountain. 

One  of  the  lookouts,  an  apprentice  boy,  reported  these  flashes  as  signals 
to  the  officer  on  the  bridge.  When  it  was  found  that  he  had  mistaken  the 
lightning  for  signals  the  youngster  was  embarrassed,  and  noticing  this,  Dewey 
patted  him  on  the  back  and  said,  "  That's  right  my  boy.  It  is  far  better  t? 


ON    BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY.  223 

make  a  mistake  like  that  on  the  right  side  than  by  over- confidence,  sacrifice 
yourself  and  comrades.  Never  be  afraid  to  err  on  the  right  side." 

Shortly  after  midnight,  when  the  brave  little  fleet  was  slowly  feeling  its 
way  through  the  tortuous  channel,  with  the  guns  of  Corregidor,  Caballo  and 
El  Fraile  frowning  down  upon  them  on  either  hand,  when  every  nerve  was 
strung  to  its  highest  tension,  every  moment  expecting  the  fearful  upheaval  of 
mine  or  torpedo,  Dewey,  the  indomitable,  turned  to  Captain  Gridley  and  said, 
"A  fine  night  for  a  smoke,  eh  Gridley?  It's  a  pity  we  can't  light  up." 

When  the  guns  on  El  Fraile  opened  fire  he  looked  back  at  the  other 
vessels  which  loomed  up  like  grim  shadows  in  the  fitful  moon-light  and  said, 
"  Well !  well !  they  did  wake  up  at  last."  Shortly  after  getting  out  of  range  of 
these  forts  the  Admiral  gave  orders  that  the  men  be  allowed  to  lay  by  their 
guns  and  have  coffee,  remarking  at  the  same  time  that  he  could  stand  a  bowl 
of  it  himself. 

Just  as  the  first  faint  streak  of  dawn  began  to  appear,  he  steamed  slowly 
toward  Manila,  with  "  Old  Glory  "  at  truck  and  gaff,  looking  for  the  Spanish 
vessels,  which,  it  was  rumored,  had  taken  up  their  position  before  the  city. 
Arriving  off  Manila,  nothing  but  merchant  vessels  flying  the  English  flag 
could  be  seen.  Dewey  then  ordered  the  McCulloch,  Nan  Shan  and  Zafiro  to 
lay  off  out  of  range  of  the  guns.  The  rest  of  the  fleet  then  headed  for  Cavite, 
where  the  Spanish  Navy  Yard  is,  or  rather  was  situated. 

The  Admiral  Eager  for  the  Battle. 

Just  as  the  fleet  swung  down  from  Manila,  the  guns  on  Sangley  Point 
opened  fire,  their  shots  falling  short  and  harmless.  As  the  roar  of  the  first 
gun  came  across  the  waters  of  Manila  Bay,  Dewey  softly  rubbed  his  hands 
together  and  said  to  Commander  Lamberton,  "  Lamberton,  the  ball  is  opened ! '» 
As  soon  as  the  Spanish  fleet  was  sighted  the  order  was  given  to  load  the  port 
batteries.  Then  speaking  to  Captain  Gridley  who  was  in  the  conning-tower, 
the  Commodore  said,  "  Fire  when  you  are  ready,  Gridley." 

About  8  o'clock  word  was  passed  up  to  the  Commodore  that  there 
were  but  ninety-five  rounds  of  ammunition  left  in  the  mid-ship  magazine. 
Cool  and  calm  as  ever  was  Dewey.  "  Very  well,  we'll  lay  off  and  have  some 
breakfast."  This  in  the  face  of  the  knowledge  that  he  was  in  an  enemy's 
harbor,  far  from  home  and  no  refuge  in  case  the  Spaniards  were  to  find  him 
in  such  a  plight. 

On  investigation  it  was  found  that  there  was  plenty  of  ammunition,  so 
after  breakfasting  and  having  a  much-needed  rest  the  fleet  again  steamed  in 
for  the  final  round.  The  outcome  has  been  blazoned  around  the  world  in 
every  tongue,  and  the  name  of  the  gallant  hero  that  led  the  little  squadron  to 


224  ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY. 

victory,  is  a  household  word  on  the  lips  of  every  child  and  enshrined  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen. 

After  the  surrender  of  Cavite,  Dewey  steamed  up  off  Manila  where  he 
lay  until  a  representative  of  the  Spanish  Governor-General  came  on  board. 
The  Commodore  then  demanded  the  surrender  of  all  the  forts  at  the  entrance 
to  the  bay.  Two  days  later  the  same  official  came  on  board,  stating  that 
Dewey's  demands  had  been  complied  with  and  that  they  were  willing  to  sur- 
render the  city  too.  Again  his  master  mind  saved  Dewey  from  making  a 
false  step.  Well  he  knew  the  attitude  of  the  natives  toward  the  Spanish  and 
that  with  his  handful  ol  men  he  could  not  police  the  town  and  guarantee 
protection  for  its  inhabitants.  He  refused  to  accept  the  surrender  of  the  city. 
This  occasioned  another  delay.  In  the  meantime,  Dewey  had  cut  one  cable, 
but  found  later  that  there  was  still  another  running  to  one  of  the  other  islands. 

Next  day,  May  4th,  the  representative  again  came  off  with  the  surrender 
of  Corregidor,  El  Fraile,  Cabalao  and  Mariveles.  Ever  on  the  a^rt,  Dewey 
gave  Captain  Coghlan  of  the  Raleigh  orders  to  take  the  Spanish  officer  on 
board  his  vessel,  then  together  with  the  Baltimore  to  go  up  to  the  forts  named 
and  dismantle  them,  "and,''  concluded  the  Commodore,  at  the  first  sign  of 
treachery,  "  hang  or  shoot  that  man." 

Generous  Treatment  of  the  Enemy. 

In  every  way  the  brave,  magnanimous  conqueror,  the  humane  instinct 
common  to  truly  brave  men  showed  itself  fully  developed  in  George  Dewey. 
After  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay,  when  hundreds  of  the  enemy  lay  maimed, 
wounded  and  dying,  when  the  noble  Sisters  of  Mercy  and  brave  men  and 
women  were  coping  with  all  manner  of  difficulties  in  caring  for  the  unfortu- 
nates, lacking  shelter,  food  and  medicine  and  continually  in  dread  of  the  sav- 
age, relentless  natives  who  spared  neither  woman,  child  or  wounded  man, 
this  hero,  always  prepared  in  emergencies,  sent  ashore  nurses,  doctors  and 
armed  men  to  protect  our  friends,  the  enemy,  to  bury  their  dead,  care  for 
their  wounded  and  to  furnish  them  with  food  and  shelter.  Deeds  to  be  re- 
membered and  truly  worthy  of  an  American. 

During  the  trying  days  of  the  blockade  until  the  taking  of  Manila,  the 
vigilance  of  Dewey  seemed  to  see  and  grasp  every  situation.  Day  after  day 
found  him  conferring  with  and  directing  the  commanders  of  the  other  vessels, 
and  at  almost  any  hour  of  the  night  he  could  be  seen  walking  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  Olympia,  ever  on  the  watch.  He  knew  his  responsibility  and 
gloried  in  doing  more  than  even  his  duty  called  for. 

If  there  was  ever  any  doubt  of  Dewey's  popularity  it  would  certainly 
have  been  dispelled  when  the  cablegram  was  re?^  to  the  crews,  stating  that 


ON   BOARD   THE  OLYMPIA  WITH   DEWEY. 


225 


"He  had  been  promoted  to  Rear  Admiral.  Such  cheering  had  never  been 
equaled.  Three  times  three  and  a  tiger  were  given  for  the  idol  of  the  fleet, 
and  that  they  were  given  with  vigor,  can  be  easily  imagined. 

When  the  news  reached  the  fleet  that  Admiral  Camara  was  coming  with 
another  squadron,  the  Americans  were  anxiously  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
Monterey  to  reinforce  the  fleet  at  Manila.  One  day  word  came  that  Camara 
had  entered  the  Suez  Canal,  and  Dewey  was  asked  what  course  he  would 
pursue  in  the  event  of  their  arrival  at  Manila.  "  Do,"  he  said,  "  why  go  out 
to  meet  them  and  win  another  victory  or  a  moument!  "  Weigh  the  meaning 


MAP   SHOWING   TERRITORY   OF   GREATER    AMERICA. 

of  that  remark;  mark  the  conclusiveness  of  it  and  the  patriotic  heroism 
exemplified  in  every  word.  "  Another  victory  or  a  monument !  "  "  Victory 
or  death."  Camara  never  reached  Manila,  but  if  he  had  there  would  be  no 
blemish  on  the  name  of  Dewey  or  the  fair  fame  of  the  little  fleet  he  com- 
manded. His  motto  was,  •'  My  Country." 

At  the  taking  of  Manila,  August  I3th,  our  hero  again  displayed  that 
humanity  and  consideration  that  has  made  him  the  idol  of  all  that  know  him. 
After  the  fall  of  Malate  the  fleet  sUamed  opposite  the  Luneta  Battery.  This 
fort  being  right  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  Dewey  wishing  to  avoid  the  shedding 
of  innocent  blood,  hoisted  the  signal,  "  Do  you  surrender?  "  This  was  shortly 
after  10  o'clock,  and  until  after  2  no  answer  had  been  seen.  About  ten  min- 
utes past  two  the  Belgian  Consul  came  off  .md  said  the  city  had  surrendered. 
15-D 


226  ON   BOARD    TOE   OLYMPIA    WITH    DEWEY. 

He  pointed  out  a  white  flag  that  had  been  flying  in  answer  to  the  signal  and 
which,  owing  to  the  background,  could  hardly  be  seen.  Had  Dewey  been 
anything  but  the  cool,  considerate  man  he  is,  the  apparently  long  delay  in 
answering  the  demand  for  surrender,  might  have  ended  in  horrible  bloodshed 
and  tragedy.  He  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 

When  the  American  flag  was  hoisted  over  the  walls  of  Manila,  the  Ad- 
.miral  heaved  a  deep  sigh  of  joy  and  ejaculated,  "  At  last!  "  Two  little  words> 
but  they  speak  volumes  as  of  the  lifting  of  an  almost  too  heavy  burden  from 
Ihose  heroic  shoulders. 

First  Mail  After  the  Battle  of  Manila  Bay. 

The  first  mail  since  the  eventful  Battle  of  Manila;  the  first  link  between 
home  and  these  heroes  in  their  far-off  field  of  glory ;  the  first  word  of  love, 
joy  and  tenderness  from  father,  mother,  wife  or  sweetheart.  What  a  tumult 
of  joy,  uncertainty  and  fear  arises  in  the  brawny  breasts  of  these  blue-s-hirted 
sons  of  Neptune  at  sight  of  those  striped  bags  that  contain  the  long-delayed, 
long-wished-for  missives  from  home  and  loved  ones. 

Eagerly  they  gather  around  the  master-at-arms  as  he  reads  off  name 
after  name.  Letters  and  packages  are  passed  to  eagerly  extended  hands. 
Little  tokens  of  love  from  home,  cards  and  presents  of  all  descriptions  are 
passed  around  for  examination,  each  one  partaking  somewhat  in  the  pleasure 
of  the  lucky  recipient. 

But  the  picture  of  simple  pleasure  is  suddenly  transformed  and  the  happy 
looks  change  to  one  of  anxiety  and  apprehension  as  the  fatal  black-bordered 
envelope  is  drawn  from  the  bag,  and  the  sympathy  expressed  in  word,  look 
and  deed  as  the  poor  fellow  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  breaks  down  under  the 
cruel  blow.  Ah !  it  is  a  touching  sight,  touching  indeed.  But  the  letters  of 
congratulation.  Exuberant,  joyful  American  congratulations  ! 

Aft  in  his  cabin  Dewey  sat  over  a  mail  bag  containing  over  a  thousand 
letters.  His  face  was  wreathed  in  smiles.  Aided  by  Commander  Lamberton 
and  Lieutenant  Brumby,  missive  after  missive  was  read.  Every  phase  of 
American  patriotism  was  represented ;  effusive,  warm-hearted,  joyful,  impul- 
sive, but  all  similar  in  that  one  respect,  patriotic  to  the  last  stroke  of  the  pen. 

Each  and  every  one  was  read  with  most  minute  exactitude  and  when, 
late  into  the  morning,  the  last  letter  was  laid  aside,  the  delighted  Admiral 
sprang  to  his  feet  with  the  agility  of  a  boy  of  ten,  tears  of  pleasure  shining 
in  the  kindly  eyes,  and  clapping  Commander  Lamberton  on  the  back  he 
cried,  "  Lamberton,  this  is  fame !  This  is  glory !  I  think  more  of  these 
plaudits  from  my  countrymen  than  of  all  the  rank  and  wealth  and  title  this 
world  holdd  !  "  Then  turning  to  Brumby,  he  said  in  a  voice  made  husky  by 


ON    BOARD    THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY.  227 

emotion,  "  Mr.  Brumby,  take  care  of  every  one  of  those  letters,  take  care  of 
them,  for  they  are  from  our  friends." 

Boat-racing,  base  and  foot-ball  were  the  chief  pastimes  to  the  American 
men-o'-wars'  men  on  the  Asiatic  Station.  In  all  of  these  sports,  Dewey  took 
the  greatest  interest,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  aid  the  men  in  obtaining  every- 
thing deemed  necessary  to  assure  success  for  their  side. 

As  a  Promoter  of  Sports. 

Shortly  before  the  war  became  a  certainty,  a  ten-oared  cutter  race  took 
place  between  a  boat  from  the  Raleigh  and  another  from  the  Olympia  at 
Hong  Kong.  The  Raleigh's  boat  had  so  far  won  every  race  in  which  it 
entered  at  home  and  abroad,  and  was  therefore,  the  favorite  in  the  coming 
event.  On  the  other  hand  "  The  Yellow  Kid,"  as  the  Olympia's  boat  was 
called,  had  never  raced  before.  The  betting  at  first  was  very  slow  until  one 
day,  a  certain  Mr.  Harper,  a  popular  hotel-keeper  of  Hong  Kong,  came  to 
the  Olympia  with  "  all  kinds  of  money  "  to  bet  on  the  Raleigh's  boat.  The 
men  were  at  first  rather  shy  of  betting,  standing  around  the  deck  in  groups 
discussing  the  situation  and  the  advisibility  of  standing  for  bigger  odds  on 
the  other  boat. 

Suddenly  they  straightened  up  and  stood  to  "  attention,"  there  was  a  hasty 
whisper  of,  "  Here  comes  the  Admiral,"  as  Dewey  came  along  the  deck. 
When  he  arrived  opposite  the  men,  his  keen  eye  detected  something  wrong. 
Stopping  before  the  group  where  Harper  was  standing  he  said,  "  What's  the 
trouble,  boys  ?  "  "  Well,  yer  see,  Admiral,"  said  one  of  the  men,  saluting, 
"  this  plug  is  betting  on  the  Raleigh's  boat  and  we  want  bigger  odds,  as  our 
boat  never  raced  before."  Harper  here  interposed  with  some  remark  to  the 
effect  that  the  boat  might  be  as  good  as  the  Raleigh's,  even  if  she  had  never 
raced  before. 

"  Might  be !  "  repeated  the  incensed  Admiral,  "  might  be !  why  hang  it, 
man,  I  never  bet  nor  do  I  encourage  betting,  but  I'll  lay  you  fifty  dollars  that 
she's  not  only  as  good,  but  better !  " 

This  was  the  signal  for  such 'cheering  as  made  Dewey  flush  to  the  roots 
of  his  hair  and  his  enthusiasm  found  so  swift  an  echo  among  the  men  that 
.before  ten  minutes  had  passed  Mr  Harper  was  compelled  to  call  a  halt. 

The  news  went  through  the  ship  like  wildfire.  "  The  Admiral's  got  fifty 
up  on  '  The  Yellow  Kid ! '"  "  Dewey's  betting  on  our  boat ! "  etc.,  and  the 
men  that  had  hitherto  been  trying  to  instill  confidence  enough  in  the  crew  to 
get  up  a  purse,  now  found  not  only  their  hands,  but  the  canvas  bag  that  rep- 
resented the  purse,  full  to  overflowing. 

At  last  the  long-looked-for  day  of  the  race  arrived.     The  weather  was 


228 


ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH   DEWEY. 


lEventng  ^Entertainment 


beautiful,  calm  and  clear.  The  Admiral,  as  usual,  gave  orders  that  the  racing 
crew  be  excused  from  all  duty,  and  they  spent  the  morning  in  sleep  and  a  little 
necessary  exercise.  Long  before  the  race  the  harbor  was  dotted  with  all 
manner  of  craft,  for  in  this  English  colony  of  Hong  Kong  the  people  were 

aware  of  the  fact  that  a 
Yankee  boat-race  meant 
a  good,  hard  race  and 
one  well  worth  seeing. 

The  Admiral  invited 
his  hosts  of  friends  to 
view  the  race  from  the 
Olympia,  and  shortly 
after  noon,  the  vessel  was 
rainbow-hued  with  visi- 
tors. About  2  o'clock 
the  boats  were  towed  to 
the  starting  point  amid 
the  cheering  of  the  spec- 
tators. The  rigging, 
fighting-tops  and  bridges 
were  crowded,  each  try- 
ing to  get  a  first  glimpse 
of  the  boats  as  they  raced 
in.  The  race  was  to  be 
for  a  distance  of  four 
miles,  and  it  was  impos- 
sible at  that  distance  tr 
distinguish  the  boats. 

Dewey,  with  a  group 
of  friends,  stood  on  the 
forward  bridge  with  a 
pair  of  glasses,  eagerly 
watching  for  a  sign  of 

Fac-simile  of  Programme  for  Evening  Entertainment  on  Thanksgiving  Day,      .1        :nrnrn:ncr  Knars      One 
Nov.  24,  1898,  on  board  Admiral  Dewey's  Flagship  Olympia.   Reproduced  from 
the  original  Programme  printed  on  board.  yOUngSter,      perched       far 

up  on  the  fore  truck,  waving  a  broom,  kept  up  a  continual  howl  of  "  Who  s 
ahead  ?  "  and  another  on  the  crosstrees  would  answer  with  a  yell  of  "  cab- 
bage.'' A  continual  cross  fire  of  badinage  was  kept  up  between  the  mem- 
bers of  the  different  factions  representing  the  respective  ships.  "  Hey,  old 
sheep-shank !  how  much  did  you  bet  ?  You'll  be  eating  cracker  hash  and 


Horizontal  Bar.  W.  Smith,  J.  E,  Wallace,  8.  Ferguson. 

Comic  Song  by  W.  Fremgen.        "The  Man  That  Lost  His  Ship 

and  saved  the  Cargo." 

Recitation.  L.  g.  Youug. 

Serio-Comic  Song  With  Topical  Verses.  J.  J.  Variderveer. 

The  Great  Piccolo  Virtuoso.  J.  E.  Wallace. 

Fun  in  Gym,  8.  Ferguson,  J.  E.  Wallace,  W.  Smith. 

Comic  Song,  "McGinty  the  Swell  of  the  Say."        T.  P.  Toohey.. 

Recitation  (Orig.)  "Yankee  Tars  in  Manila  Bay."  J,  E.  Colthurst. 
"On  Your  Way  Nigger,  On  Your  Way." 
As  Sung  For  The  First  Time  in  The  Colonies. 
W.  T.  Baxter  and  W.  T.  Mofliff. 

"La  Loie,  In  Her  Terpsichorean  Fantasia."  Wf  Fremgen. 

THE   RIVALS. 
Produced  For  The  First  Time  on  The  Stage. 

Jimmie  (The  Baker.)  T.  P.  Toohey. 

Sam  (A  Chimney  Sweep.)  J.  E.  Wallace. 

Polly  (A  Servant.)  0.  J.  Dutreaux. 

Hutton  &  Hallett.  Smith  &  Dutreaux. 

OLYMPIAN'  COLORED  BABIES. 
In  Their  Original  Song  and  Dance  Specialty. 

BLACK  JUSTICE. 
ONE  ACT  FAROE, 
Judge  (Pro-tern.) 
Finnegan  (Court  Crier.) 

I 
\ 

Billy  the  Pug. 
The  Embezzler. 


Solicitors. 
Dancing  Girls. 


The  Poor  Man. 
Joe  the  Dancer. 


J.E.Wallace, 
T.  P.  Toohey. 
8.  Ferguson. 
J.  L.  Hallett 
C.  J.  Dutreaux. 
.  W.  T.McNiff. 
J.  B.  Anderson. 
W.  Baxter. 
W.  Smith. 
J,  W.  Smith, 


"Star  Spangled  Banner. 


ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY. 


229 


salt  horse  after  this  race !  "  were  some  of  the  shots  hurled  from  side  to  side. 
Dewey  enjoyed  all  this  hugely  and  would  laugh  as  heartily  as  any  at  the 
different  sallies  as  either  side  scored  a  point. 

Suddenly  there  is  a 
yell  and  then  silence. 
"  Here  they  come  !  " 
Two  scintillating  specks 
could  be  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  lucky  pos- 
sessor of  glasses  becomes 
the  centre  of  attraction. 
"  Who's  ahead  ?"  "The 
Raleigh !  "  is  the  answer- 
ing shout.  This  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  deafening 
medley  of  cheers  and 
groans. 

And  now  the  boats 
draw  near,  followed  by  a 
fleet  of  tugs  and  launch- 
es, with  whistles  blowing 
and  passengers  cheering 
and  urging  on  their  fa- 
vorites. 

Nip  and  tuck  it  is, 
neither  boat  seeming  to 
have  any  advantage. 
With  every  nerve  and 
sinew  strained  to  its  ut- 
most, each  man  lays 
back,  fighting  for  some 
advantage  that  will  in- 
sure victory. 

Dewey  took  one 
long  look  through  his 
glasses  and  turning  to  some  gentlemen  standing  near  he  said,  "  Our  boat 
will  win.  Eckstrom  is  saving  his  crew  for  the  finish."  Then  turning  to 
one  of  the  men  he  continued,  "  McKenna,  make  '  twenty-one  '  with  the  siren." 
Twenty-one  in  the  signal  code  is  the  Olympia's  initial  letter  "  O  "  and  as  the 
.shrill  scream  of  the  siren  cut  the  air,  't  told  the  brave  boys  in  the  boat  that 


U.  S.  FLAGSHIP   OLYMPIA.  \ 

(damte, 

Philippine  J0lan&0,  NOD.  24, 

1898. 

March. 

"Independence." 

Satta. 

Overture. 

"War  Songs  of  the  Boys  in  Blue." 

Laurendean. 

Selection. 

"Robin  Hood." 

Wiegand. 

March. 

"Nancy  Lee."                  <4* 

r.  Valifuoco. 

Schottische. 

"Dancing  in  the  Barn." 

Claus. 

Waltz. 

"Papa's  Baby  Boy." 

Bray. 

Selection. 

"Plantation  Songs." 

Conterno. 

March. 

"La  Fiesta." 

Roncovieri. 

Waltz. 

*'On  the  Beautiful  Rhine." 

Melber. 

March. 

"On  the  Bowery." 

Mackie.  [ 

Dance. 

"Indian  War." 

Bellstedt.  t 

i 

Characteristic, 
March. 
Waltz. 

"Salvation  Array." 
"Liberty  Bell." 
"Visions  of  Paradise." 

Orth.  ' 

) 
Sousa.  . 

Ben  net. 

March. 

"American." 

Ripley. 

M.  VALIF1 

"Star  Spangled  Banner." 

IASTER.  • 

Fac-simile  of  Programme  for  Thanksgiving  Day  celebration  on  board  Admiral 
Dewey's  Flagship  Olympia.     Reproduced  from  the  original  programme. 


230  ON   BOARD   THE   OLYMPIA   WITH    DEWEY. 

they  had  friends  watching  them,  put  new  life  in  their  wearied  frames  and 
energy  in  their  throbbing  muscles.  "  The  Yellow  Kid  "  sprang  ahead  like  a 
thing  of  life  gaining  nearly  a  length. 

Now  they  near  the  finish.  Whistles  are  tooting,  men  howling  and  ladies 
waving  their  snowy  handkerchiefs.  The  Admiral  leaned  far  over  the  rail 
cheering  and  calling  the  men  by  name.  It  is  a  scene  of  indescribable  excite- 
ment. The  Raleigh's  crew  make  one  final,  gallant  spurt.  But  it  is  too  late. 
They  cross  the  line  just  half  a  second  after  the  "  Yellow  Kid/'  less  than  three 
feet  from  bow  to  bow,  thus  ending  one  of  the  closest  races  in  the  history  of 
our  navy. 

As  the  racing  crew  are  helped  over  the  gangway,  one  by  one,  Dewey 
met  them  and  shook  them  each  by  the  hand,  saying,  "  I  knew  it !  I  knew  it ! 
Boys,  you  can't  be  beaten !  "  When  Harper  came  on  board  to  pay  the  bets, 
the  Admiral  button-holed  him  and  said,  "  Mr.  Harper  don't  you  think  the 
1  Yellow  Kid  '  might  be  better  than  the  other  boat  ?  " 

The  Admiral  Congratulates  his  Men. 

"  Well  Admiral/'  said  Harper  good-naturedly,  "  I  am  only  sorry  I  didn't 
follow  your  example  with  the  rest  of  the  boys." 

That  evening  Dewey  called  the  racing  crew  into  his  cabin,  and  after  con- 
gratulating them  on  their  victory,  presented  them  with  the  hundred  dollars 
of  his  bet,  the  fifty  he  had  put  up  and  the  fifty  he  had  won,  "for,"  he  said, 
"  if  it  had  not  been  for  you  I  would  have  lost  it  anyway,"  and  cutting  short 
their  thanks  with  a  pleasant  laugh,  he  shook  hands  with  them  all  again  and 
bowed  them  out. 

The  first  Thanksgiving  after  the  battle  of  Manila  was  hailed  by  the  men 
of  Dewey's  fleet  with  delight.  They  all  felt  they  had  much  to  be  thankful  for, 
and  their  rejoicing  over  victory  was  mingled  with  sweet  thoughts  of  t<?me  and 
loved  ones  far  away.  On  board  the  Olympia  there  was  an  elaborate  o°'ebra- 
tion  of  the  day  and  copies  of  the  programmes  are  here  inserted. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Our  Soldier  Boys  in  the  Battle  and  Fall  of  Manila. 

E  extract  additional  accounts  of  the  capture  of  Manila  and  the  gal- 
lant exploits   of  the  American  troops,  from  the   columns  of  The 
Bounding  Billow,  which,  as  already  stated,  was  the  official  organ 
of  Admiral  Dewey's  fleet  and  was  published  on  board  the  Olympia, 
the  Admiral's  flagship. 

"  Manila,  Aug.  I3th. — At  nine  o'clock  this  morning  the  fleet  formed  in  line 
of  battle  and  stood  in  towards  the  city,  battle-flags  flying  and  crews  at  quar- 
ters, ready  for  action.  A  combined  attack  on  Manila  by  the  army  and  navy 
was  to  take  place,  the  vessels,  in  the  event  of  resistance,  to  bombard  the  forts 
and  batteries  along  the  water  front.  At  the  signal  to  prepare  for  action  the 
ships  formed  in  line,  flagship  leading  with  the  Callao  and  Monterey  on  either 
flank  until  near  Malate. 

"We  formed  opposite  Malate  fort,  with  the  Callao  and  the  tug  Barcelo 
standing  close  in  shore  to  support  the  troops,  and  the  Olympia,  Raleigh  and 
Petrel  laying  opposite  the  fort.  The  Charleston,  Baltimore,  Monterey,  and 
Boston  formed  a  line  of  support,  Concord  and  McCulloch  guarding  Pasig 
river. 

Shots  That  Did  Terrible  Damage. 

"At  9.55  the  ball  was  opened  by  a  shot  from  the  flagship  as  a  reminder 
that  we  were  still  on  earth.  Receiving  no  reply  we  stood  in  closer  and  fired 
again,  followed  by  the  Petrel  and  Callao.  The  Raleigh  then  formed  into  line 
and  opened  fire.  A  desultory  fire  was  kept  up  for  some  time,  but  we  got  no 
return,  although  the  Callao  and  Barcelo  received  several  volleys  from  small 
arms  and  light  guns. 

"  Our  shots  did  terrible  damage  and  execution  in  the  fort,  which  was  also 
engaged  by  the  fielid  batteries  of  the  army.  A  single  shot  from  one  of  the 
vessels  engaged  passed  clean  through  the  fort,  making  a  breech  in  the  wall 
large  enough  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  a  horse  and  carriage.  Things  were 
getting  too  warm  around  Malate,  and  the  Spaniards  vacated  the  fort  and 
retreated  into  the  woods  toward  Manila. 

"  At  10.32  the  signal  was  made  to  cease  firing,  and  our  troops  could  be 
"»een  charging  up  the  beach  as  only  Yankee  soldiers  know  how  to  charge,  and 
the  wish  of  the  Spanish  soldier  that  wanted  to  meet  us  on  dry  land,  was  grati- 
fied to  more  than  his  heart's  content. 

23* 


.  J2       OUR  SOLDIERS    IN   THE    CAPTURE   OF   MANILA. 

"Just  as  six  bells  (n  o'clock)  struck,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  hoisted 
over  Malate  fort  by  a  soldier  of  the  First  Colorado,  but  who,  sad  to  say,  was 
shot  dead  by  a  Spanish  sharpshooter.  It,  however,  is  a  great  consolation  to 
us,  his  fellow  patriots,  to  know  that  he  died  in  what  was  undoubtedly  the 
happiest  moment  of  this  brave  fellow's  life,  hoisting  the  flag  of  the  country 
he  died  for  in  the  land  of  the  enemy. 

"  Meanwhile  the  army,  the  Callao  keeping  on  its  flank,  advanced  towards 
Manila.  The  Barcelo,  under  the  command  of  Cadet  White,  had  ventured 
dangerously  close  to  the  beach,  doing  great  damage  with  her  'forecastle  bat- 
tery"  (QHQ  machine-gun).  Governor-General  Merritt  and  staff  followed  the 
engagement  from  the  U.  S.  S.  Zafiro. 

"After  the  Spanish  flag  was  lowered  from  over  Malate,  the  fleet  stood  up 
towards  the  city  and  lay  off  the  Luneta  battery.  This  being  in  the  heart  of 
the  city,  Admiral  Dewey  wishing  to  avoid  unnecessary  shedding  of  blood  and 
the  inevitable  slaughter  of  hundreds  of  innocent  people,  hoisted  a  signal  ask- 
ing them  to  surrender.  Not  seeing  any  answer  to  this,  his  humane  instincts 
prompted  him  to  make  a  further  concession,  and  he  sent  Flag  Lieutenant 
Brumby,  accompanied  by  two  signal  boys  carrying  a  huge  American  flag, 
ashore  in  the  launch  of  the  Belgian  consul  flying  a  flag  of  truce,  to  demand 
the  surrender  of  the  city,  from  the  Spanish  governor-general. 

Guns  Ready  to  Belch  Forth  Death. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Monterey  had  steamed  into  position  on  our  starboard 
quarter,  where  she  lay  grim  and  formidable  with  her  powerful  guns  trained 
on  the  fort  ready  at  the  signal  to  belch  forth  death  and  destruction  on  the 
enemy.  The  crews  were  all  -at  quarters,  but  such  a  small  incident  as  war 
could  not  keep  us  from  our  meals,  and  promptly  at  twelve  o'clock  we  went 
to  dinner,  and,  although  on  the  alert  for  the  least  alarm,  we  enjoyed  the  meal 
hugely. 

"At  2, 2O  Lieutenant  Brumby  returned  with  a  copy  of  the  surrender  of 
the  city.  The  news  was  signalled  to  the  fleet,  and  was  received  with  three 
rousing  cheers  by  the  crews  of  each  vessel. .  The  hoisting  of  our  flag  was 
delayed  until  General  Merritt  could  be  landed,  and  Lieutenant  Brumby  imme- 
diately went  to  the  Zafiro  and  returned  to  Manila  with  the  General. 

"At  5.40  the  Spanish  flag  was  lowered  and  'Old  Glory'  flung  to  the 
breeze  over  the  walls  of  Manila.  The  flag  was  hoisted  by  Apprentices 
Edward  P.  Stanton  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  Samuel  Ferguson  of  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  under  the  direction  of  Flag  Lieutenant  Brumby,  all  of  the  Olympia. 
One  army  officer  was  present.  As  the  Spanish  flag  was  lowered  in  the  dust 
the  Spanish  governor-general's  family  and  the  Spaniards  assembled  wept,  but 


OUR  SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA.        233 

as  the  dear  old  Stars  and  Stripes  went  up  they  began  to  hiss..  As  an  off-set 
lo  this  painful  scene  a  beautiful  incident  took  place.  Just  as  our  colors 
reached  the  truck  of  the  flag-staff,  a  regimental  band  entered  the  walled  city 
and,  though  they  could  not  be  seen  by  the  spectators,  they  caught  sight  oi 
*Old  Glory '  waving  proudly  over  their  heads  and  struck  up  that  tune  so  dear 
to  the  patriot  heart,  the  '  Star  Spangled  Banner,'  while  cheer  on  cheer  burst 
from  the  soldiers  as  they  swung  by. 

"  On  board  ship  every  eye  was  on  the  Spanish  flag,  anxiously  await- 
ing its  lowering.  Suddenly  a  wild  yell  is  heard  :  '  There  she  goes,'  and. 
amid  the  frenzied  cheering  of  the  tired  but  happy'  men-o'-war's  men,  our  ves- 
sels roared  forth  a  national  salute  to  the  dear  banner  flying  so  bravely  over 
our  new  territory. 

''About  400  A.M.,  August  1 3th,  reveille  was  sounded,  and  by  the  first 
peep  of  day  Camp  Dewey  was  alive  with  the  bustle  and  stir  of  preparation  for 
battle.  A  few  unfortunates  were  left  to  guard  camp  during  the  engagement. 
By  seven  o'clock  the  entire  army  was  on  the  move,  and  by  nine  every  regi- 
ment and  company  had  taken  its  position.  The  army  formed  in  two  parts ; 
the  advance  or  fighting  line  and  the  reserve. 

Cheers  Greeted  the  Beginning  of  the  Battle. 

''The  former  consisted  of  the  Eighteenth  Infantry,  on  the  right  flank  sup- 
ported by  the  Astor  battery.  The  right  and  left  centers  were  formed  by  the 
Pennsylvania  and  First  California.  The  left  flank  consisted  of  the  Second  Ar- 
tillery and  Utah  Battery.  Generals  Anderson  and  Greene  commanded  this 
line.  The  reserve,  under  General  MacArthur,  consisted  of  the  Colorado, 
Minnesota,  two  battalions  of  the  First  Nebraska,  two  Idaho  battalions,  and 
the  Wyoming  Battalion.  These  were  stationed  about  one  mile  from  the 
fighting  line. 

"  When  the  first  gun  from  the  fleet  announced  the  opening  of  the  fight 
the  soldiers  could  hardly  restrain  their  cheers.  The  reserves  had  participated 
in  all  the  previous  engagements,  and  naturally  chafed  at  their  inactivity  in 
this  engagement,  and,  no  doubt,  many  of  the  brave  fellows  hoped  the  advance 
would  be  repulsed,  so  they  might  have  a  chance. 

"  Shortly  after  ten  o'clock  the  firing  from  the  fleet  ceased,  but  the 
fighting  line  were  still  at  it.  They  kept  steadily  advancing  on  the  fort  at 
Malate  which  had  evidently  been  vacated.  The  Spaniards  kept  up  a  desul- 
tory fire  from  the  brush,  but  did  very  little  harm,  and  were  finally  driven 
toward  Manila.  The  trenches  around  Malate  were  filled  with  dead  and 
wounded  and  gave  terrible  proof  of  the  destructive  fire  from  the  fleet. 

"  At  last  the  fort  was  reached,  the  Spanish  flag  hauled  down  and  '  Old 


234        OUR   SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF    MANILA 

Glory '  proudly  hoisted  in  its  place.  Cheer  on  cheer  rent  the  air  as  the  flag 
went  up,  and  every  man  bared  his  head  to  the  banner  he  would  die  for.  It 
could  plainly  be  seen  that  the  Spaniards  had  departed  in  haste,  as  thousands 
of  rounds  of  ammunition  were  left  behind. 

"  The  army  again  took  up  its  weary  march  through  swamps  and  bram- 
bles, mud  and  mire,  with  water  at  times  up  to  their  arm-pits,  making  travel 
not  only  slow,  but  extremely  painful,  and  proceeded  to  Manila.  Excepting  a 
few  slight  skirmishes  along  the  line  of  march,  no  resistance  was  made  until 
the  walls  of  the  city  were  reached. 

"  The  First  California  had  the  honor  of  being  first  to  enter  the  gates  of 
the  ancient  city.  While  under  the  walls  they  were  subjected  to  a  galling  fire 
from  the  Spaniards  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a  flag  of  truce  was  waving  in  plain 
sight.  Colonel  '  Jim  '  Smith  pointed  to  the  white  flag  and  vowed  that  if  the 
firing  did  not  cease  he  would  shoot  every  officer  there.  They  said  it  was  the 
soldiers  firing  without  orders,  and  it  was  soon  stopped. 

"As  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  entered  the  trenches  a  band  of  insurgents 
opened  fire  on  them  wounding  several.  They  claimed  later  that  in  the 
excitement  they  mistook  our  troops  for  Spaniards.  The  Wyoming  Battalion 
was  the  first  of  the  reserve  to  enter  Manila,  and  were  also  subjected  to  a  fire 
which  they  were  forbidden  to  return. 

"  In  the  summing  up  it  was  found  that  but  seven  of  our  brave  soldiers 
had  been  killed,  and  seventeen  wounded,  while  the  Spanish  losses  are  esti- 
mated at  between  eight  hundred  and  a  thousand.  To  the  credit  of  our  boys 
be  it  said,  not  a  case  of  loot  or  violence  did  they  participate  in,  and  the  day 
ended  a  glorious,  unblemished  epoch  in  the  history  of  our  army." 

The  Terms  of  Surrender. 

"  The  undersigned,  having  been  appointed  to  determine  the  details  of  the 
capitulation  of  the  city  and  defenses  of  Manila  and  its  suburbs,  and  the 
Spanish  forces  stationed  therein,  in  accordance  with  the  agreement  entered 
into  the  previous  day  by  Major-General  Wesley  Merritt,  U.  S.  Army,  Ameri- 
can Commander-in-Chief  in  the  Philippines,  and  His  Excellency  Don  Fermin 
Jaudencs,  Acting  General-in-Chief  of  the  Spanish  Army  in  the  Philippines, 

"HAVE  AGREED  UPON  THE  FOLLOWING: 

"  i.  The  Spanish  troops,  European  and  native,  capitulate  with  the  city 
and  its  defenses,  with  all  the  honors  of  war,  depositing  their  arms  in  the 
places  designated  by  the  authorities  of  the  United  States,  and  remaining  in1 
quarters  designated  and  under  the  orders  of  their  officers  and  subject  to  con- 
trol of  the  aforesaid  United  States  authorities,  until  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty 
of  peace  between  the  two  belligerent  nations. 


OUR   SOLDIERS    IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF    MANILA.        235 

"  All  persons  included  in  the  capitulation  remain  at  liberty,  the  officers 
/emaining  in  their  respective  homes,  which  shall  be  respected  as  long  as  they 
observe  the  regulations  prescribed  for  their  government  and  the  laws  in  force. 

"  2.  Officers  shall  retain  their  side  arms,  horses  and  private  property. 

"3.  All  public  horses  and  public  property  of  all  kinds  shall  be  turned 
over  to  staff  officers  designated  by  the  United  States. 

"4.  Complete  returns  in  duplicate  of  men  by  organizations,  and  full  lists' 
of  public  property  and  stores  shall  be  rendered  to  the  United  States  within 
ten  days  from  this  date. 

"  5.  All  questions  relating  to  the  repatriation  of  officers  and  men  of  the 
Spanish  forces,  and  of  their  families,  and  of  the  expenses  which  said  repatria- 
tion may  occasion,  shall  be  referred  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
at  Washington.  Spanish  families  may  leave  Manila  at  any  time  convenient 
to  them.  The  return  of  the  arms  surrendered  by  the  Spanish  forces,  shall 
take  place  when  they  evacuate  the  city  or  when  the  American  Army 
evacuates. 

"  6.  Officers  and  men  included  in  the  capitulation  shall  be  supplied  by 
the  United  States,  according  to  their  rank,  with  rations  and  necessary  aid  as 
though  they  were  prisoners  of  war,  until  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain.  All  the  funds  in  the  Spanish  treasury 
and  all  other  public  funds,  shall  be  turned  over  to  the  authorities  of  the 
United  States. 

Protected  by  American  Honor. 

"7.  This  cicy,  its  inhabitants,  its  churches  and  religious  worship,  its  edu- 
cational establishments,  and  its  private  property  of  all  descriptions  are  placed 
under  the  special  safeguard  of  the  faith  and  honor  of  the  American  Army. 

"  F.  V.  Greene,  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers,  U.  S.  Army ;  B.  P. 
Lamberton,  Captain  U.  S.  Navy ;  C.  A.  Whittier,  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
Inspector-General ;  B.  H.  Crowder,  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Judge  Advocate  ; 
Nicolas  de  la  Pena  y  Cuellar,  Auditor-General  Exemo;  Carlos  Reyes  Rich, 
Colonel  de  Ingenieros;  Jose  Maria  Olague  Feliu,  Coronel  de  Estado  Mayor." 

A  writer  in  a  journal  called  "  The  Soldier's  Letter,"  published  at  Manila^ 
sums  up  with  conspicuous  ability  the  situation  after  the  town  was  captured. 
The  value  of  his  frank  statements  will  be  evident  to  every  reader : 

"'Tis  quite  natural  that  an  army  which  has  been  so  signally  successful  in 
all  of  its  operations,  as  has  the  army  of  the  Philippines,  should,  now  that  its 
every  object  has  been  splendidly  accomplished  and  the  comparative  indolence 
of  peace  has  taken  the  place  of  the  feverish  activity  of  war,  employ  much  of 
its  spare  time  in  self  congratulation  and  laudation.  It  is  not  vanity,  but  a 


236        OUR   SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA. 

just  pride  in  the  splendid  excellence  of  American  chivalry  that  prompts  the 
mutual  patting  on  the  back  that  is  continually  going  on  between  the  different 
commands  at  present  comprising  the  garrison  of  this  city. 

"  Yet  I  think  that  the  boys,  for  the  most  part,  mistake  the  portion  of 
their  work  which  does  them  the  most  credit  and,  through  an  erroneous  idea 
of  what  really  constitutes  military  perfection,  give  to  their  fighting  qualities 
the  praise  which  more  justly  belongs  to  their  patience,  constancy,  determina- 
tion and  cheerfulness  under  unaccustomed  hardship  and  privation. 

"  By  this  I  don't  mean  for  a  moment  to  decry  the  courage  of  our  troops. 
The  average  American  soldier  is  a  born  fighter,  intelligent  and  quick  to 
understand  and  to  act  in  any  sudden  emergency ;  cool,  calm  and  with  excellent 
judgment  he  carries  out  the  orders  given  him  in  the  heat  of  an  engagement 
with  a  precision  and  an  understanding  which  causes  the  observer,  trained  in 
European  schools,  to  look  on  and  wonder,  though  he  cannot  comprehend 
how,  in  raw  volunteer  troops,  such  things  can  be.  As  for  courage — the  entire 
world  has  for  centuries  attested  to  the  superiority  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  article. 

Heroes  in  the  Trenches. 

"  What  I  do  mean  to  say  is  that  in  the  battle  of  Malate  and  the  so-called 
'  assault '  on  Manila  we  have  participated  in  nothing  more  than  a  couple  of 
slight  skirmishes,  and  to  boast  of  the  prodigies  of  valor  there  performed  is 
merely  to  make  ourselves  ridiculous.  But  the  work  done  by  the  volunteer 
troops  at  Camp  Dewey,  at  Cavite  and  in  the  trenches  is  another  matter  and 
one  of  which  every  regiment  that  participated  has  reason,  and  good  reason, 
to  be  justly  proud.  I  know  the  material  of  which  the  volunteer  rank  and 
file  is  composed  and  am  fairly  well  acquainted  with  the  manner  of  their  former 
civil  life  ;  consequently  I  understand  what  the  boys  had  to  undergo  and  can 
realize  what  a  night  in  the  trenches,  for  instance,  must  have  meant  to  a  youth 
who  had  probably,  never  before  known  what  it  was  to  wear  a  wet  sock. 

"  Should  one  have  left  one  of  the  American  men-of-war  anchored  in  the 
bay  midway  between  Camp  Dewey  and  the  city  of  Manila,  and  have  steered 
his  small  boat  for  a  point  on  the  shore,  marked  by  a  large  red  iron  barge 
hauled  up  on  the  beach  in  an  opening  made  by  a  break  in  the  grove  of  bam- 
boo trees  which  fringe  the  water's  edge,  and  have  chosen  as  his  time  of  visit 
that  hour  of  the  morning  between  eight  and  nine,  he  would,  upon  landing, 
have  found  himself  behind  the  iron  barge  and  his  gaze  would  have  first  rested 
on  the  immense  pile  of  bags,  filled  with  sand,  which,  connecting  themselves 
with  the  iron  prow  of  the  barge  formed  a  breastwork  fifteen  feet  thick  at  the 
base  and  rising  to  a  height  of  about  eight  feet  where,  at  its  top,  the  thick- 
ness  was  from  three  to  five  feet, 


OUR   SOLDIERS   IN  THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA.        23? 

"  This  breastwork,  which  would  have  been  on  his  left  hand  as  he  faced 
file  west,  ran  across  the  twenty  or  thirty  feet  of  sandy  beach  which  it  pro- 
tected, and  joining  a  line  similar  to  itself,  built  on  a  higher  elevation  where 
the  solid  ground  rose  a  couple  of  feet  above  the  sand  of  the  beach,  made 
part  of  the  long  line  of  entrenchments  which,  beginning  at  the  water's  edge, 
stretched,  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  for  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  inland, 
and  lost  themselves  in  the  brush,  swamps  and  overflowed,  puddly  fields  on 
the  western  side  of  the  Calle  Real,  which  connects  Cavite  with  Manila. 

"  About  a  thousand  yards  distant  to  the  north,  arose  the  Spanish  sand 
bags.  Beginning  at  the  water's  edge,  where  Fort  Malate  protected  their 
flank  as  the  iron  barge  did  ours,  they  stretched  inland  for  about  the  same  dis- 
tance as  ours.  They  were  likewise  drawn  out  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  with 
their  convex  side  facing  the  concave  of  our  own  half  moon. 

Description  of  the  Battlefield. 

"  The  interval  between  the  two  lines  was — save  where  the  white  beach 
stretched  its  smooth,  unbroken  length — for  the  most  part  covered  with  a 
thick  growth  of  bamboo — though,  just  in  front  of  the  center  of  our  left  wing 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  beach,  an  open  cornfield,  some 
hundred  yards  in  width,  gave  us  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  Spanish  works, 
while  affording  them  an  equally  good  sight  of  ours.  Just  inside  our  lines 
and  directly  facing  this  opening  was  a  large  white  house,  formerly  used  as  a 
monastery. 

"  The  visitor's  gaze  would  have  taken  in  all  these  particulars  and  then 
would  have  taken  in  the  scenes  behind  the  trenches  themselves.  First  he 
would  have  encountered  a  long,  muddy  ditch,  made  by  the  excavations  neces- 
sary for  the  building  of  the  breastworks  and  running  in  a  parallel  line  to  the 
works  themselves — this  ditch  was  about  twenty  feet  wide  and  about  three  feet 
deep  and  ran  to  within  a  half  dozen  feet  of  the  breastworks,  from  which  it 
was  separated  by  a  terrace  where  the  ground  had  been  left  untouched.  Piled 
on  this  terrace  he  would  have  seen  haversacks,  blankets  and  other  accoutre- 
ments intersected  at  every  few  feet  by  rifles  stacked  handy  to  the  grasp  of 
the  men  who  lined  the  entire  inside  length  of  the  work. 

"  Some  leaning  against  the  breastworks,  some  dozing,  some  with  their 
wet  and  muddy  blankets  wrapped  about  them,  lying  full  length  on  the  damp 
ground  sound  asleep, — here  and  there  groups  of  two,  three  or  a  half  dozen 
would  be  congregated  discussing  the  probability  of  their  relief  arriving  on  time 
and  the  cook  having  something  warm  awaiting  them  on  their  return  to  camp. 
Others  would  be  seen  walking  quietly  up  and  down  endeavoring  to  restore 
elasticity  to  their  cramped  muscles  and  warmth  to  their  chilled  blood. 


238       OUR   SOLDIERS  IN  THE  CAPTURE  OF   MANILA. 

"  Groups  of  officers  would  be  noticed  sitting  silently  wrapped  in  their 
rubber  blankets  or  buying  bunches  of  bananas  from  the  Filipino  traders, 
whose  love  of  gain  outweighed  their  sense  of  danger.  All  along  the  line  at 
intervals  of  two  or  three  yards,  sentinels  would  be  seen  peering  over  the  top 
of  the  works.  Motionless  as  statues,  their  brown  hats  blending  with  the 
earth  they  silently  watched  for  the  slightest  sign  of  movement  from  the  enemy. 

"Should  the  visitor  have  studied  the  faces  of  the  men  he  would  have  found 
much  to  interest  him  and  much  that  would  have  told  him  what  *  trench  '  work 
really  meant.  True,  the  faces  were  browned  by  the  sun  and  roughened  by 
wind  and  rain  and  weather.  But  it  was  not  the  hardy,  bronzed  roughness 
produced  by  more  northern  climes. 

"  It  was  rather  the  soft  flabby  brown,  through  which  the  pallor  of  fatigue 
seen  everywhere  in  the  tropics  and  the  whiteness  of  exhausted  nature  was 
vainly  trying  to  force  itself.  Should  this  same  visitor  have  cared  to  inquire 
he  would  have  learned  that  these  same  men  had  been  twenty-four  hours  in 
the  same  position  in  which  he  found  them. 

Hardships  and  Heavy  Labor. 

"  They  had  come  out  the  morning  before,  arriving  at  their  post  at  about 
nine  o'clock.  Some  of  them  had  been  on  guard  duty  for  the  entire  night, 
previous  to  that — some  were  suffering  from  sores,  which  covered  the  entire 
body ;  others  were  weakened  by  cramps  and  dysentery,  and  all  had  made  the 
three  mile-round-about-march  which  led  them  to  the  trenches,  packing  rifles, 
blankets,  haversacks  and  belts  full  of  ammunition  on  an  insufficent  breakfast 
of  bad  coffee  and  poor  hardtack  either  because  their  company  cook  had  not 
been  compelled  to  do  his  duty  or,  which  is  more  probable,  because  their 
quartermaster  sergeant  had  not  been  compelled  to  do  his. 

"  Arriving  in  the  grove  of  trees  back  of  the  trenches,  they  had  been 
halted  and,  in  bunches  of  six  or  eight,  had  dashed  across  the  twenty  yards  of 
open  ground  that  intervened  between  the  secrecy  of  the  trees  and  the  safety 
of  the  breastworks.  Once  in  the  trenches  their  work  commenced. 

"  All  day  long  they  had  labored  digging  and  filling  bags  which  were  no 
sooner  full  than  they  were  taken  on  shoulder  and  carried  to  the  place  they 
were  to  occupy  in  the  creation  of  new  works  or  the  strengthening  of  the  old. 
In  many  cases  there  had  not  been  enough  picks  and  shovels  provided  and 
the  supply  of  bags  had  run  short.  Whereupon  the  boys  had  turned  up  the 
soft  muddy  ground  with  sharpened  sticks,  carried  it  to  the  breastworks  on 
flat  boards  and  patted  it  into  place  with  their  bare  hands.  All  the  previous 
morning  they  had  done  this  work  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  something  with 
which  to  fill  their  empty  stomachs  when  noon  should  arrive. 


OUR  SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA.       239 

"  Noon  arrived,  so  did  one  o'clock,  two  o'clock  likewise  passed,  but  nr 
grub.  Finally,  when  the  latter  hour  was  about  thirty  minutes  old  the  cook 
and  his  assistants  had  put  in  an  appearance  and  cold  coffee  was  served  to 
wash  down  hardtack  and  canned  meat.  After  dinner,  work  had  been  re- 
sumed and  was  kept  up  until  darkness  made  further  labor  impossible.  The 
latter  part  of  the  afternoons,  work  had  been  enlivened  by  the  Spanish  sharp- 
shooters who  blazed  away  whenever  they  had  a  chance  at  men  who  were 
forbidden  to  reply  to  them. 

:  "  With  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  which  had  been  torrid  in  the  intensity 
of  its  heat  all  day,  the  stars  came  out  and  the  guards  were  doubled.  One 
man  from  each  squad  was  placed  peering  over  the  top  of  the  works  where  he 
remained  for  one  hour  when  he  was  relieved  by  the  next  in  line.  When  not 
on  guard  he  was  allowed  to  sit  down  and  rest,  but  he  could  neither  sleep  nor 
could  he  walk  from  the  place  allotted  to  him  in  the  line  of  breastworks. 
Several  times  alarms  had  been  given  and  each  man  had  sprung  to  his  post. 
They  had  been  mistakes,  however,  due  to  the  heated  imagination  of  some 
sentry  who  mistook  a  line  of  trees  for  a  line  of  troops. 

"  At  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  Spaniards  had  opened  on  the 
works  with  the  guns  of  their  Malate  battery,  and  for  a  couple  of  hours  the 
'  boys  in  brown '  had  been  compelled  to  lay  low  and  listen  to  shells  of  various 
sizes  and  sorts  whistle  above  and  about  them. 

Heaven's  Batteries  Opened. 

"  Receiving  no  reply,  the  Spaniards  had,  at  length,  desisted  and  the 
heavens  had  opened  their  batteries,  pelting  the  troops  with  rain  and  wind  for 
the  entire  balance  of  the  night.  Rubber  blankets  and  ponchos  had  proved 
to  be  but  poor  material  with  which  to  ward  off  a  tropical  rain  storm,  and  the 
boys,  drenched  to  the  skin,  had  passed  the  entire  night  huddled  together  and 
standing  ankle  deep  in  mud  and  water. 

"  Coffee  had  been  promised  at  midnight.  It  arrived  somewhat  late,  but 
proved  to  be  so  cold  and  so  poorly  made  that  it  merely  served  to  accentuate 
the  general  discomfort.  Such  had  been  the  previous  twenty-four  hours  of 
the  men  whom  the  visitor  would  have  seen  in  the  trenches  as  they  sat  and 
^waited  their  relief  which  was  destined  to  a  succeeding  twenty-four  hours  of 
similar  experience. 

"  In  general,  such  was  trench  duty.  It  came  every  third  or  fourth  day, 
the  interval  being  filled  up  with  camp  duty  which  in  itself  was  no  picnic. 
The  duty  was  necessary  and  was,  not  only  willingly,  but  cheerfully  performed. 
Many,  in  fact,  the  majority  of  the  men,  had  never  had  the  slightest  taste  of 
hardship  or  manual  work  before  in  their  lives  and  had  been  accustomed  to 


240       OUR  SOLDIERS   IN  THE  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA. 

comfortable,  and  in  some  cases,  luxurious  homes.     Yet  either  in  camp  or 
garrison  I  have  yet  to  hear  the  first  word  of  complaint. 

"This,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  thing  on  which  the  volunteers  should  pride 
themselves,  and  when  mutual  congratulations  are  the  order  of  the  day,  let 
them  be  on  the  fortitude  displayed  by  the  different  regiments  that  took  part 
in  the  operations  against  Manila." 

Cruise  of  the  Monterey. 

Persons  who  delight  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  our  warships  will  find  the 
following  account  of  two  of  our  well  known  vessels  of  great  interest : 

"  The  U.  S.  Monitor  Monterey  left  San  Francisco  June  7th,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  San  Diego,  where  she  was  to  join  the  collier  Brutus  and  accom- 
panied by  the  latter  to  proceed  to  Manila  via  Honolulu  and  San  Luis  d'Apra, 
to  join  the  Asiatic  Squadron.  She  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th.  Dur- 
ing her  stay  in  San  Diego,  visitors  were  thronging  the  vessel,  inspecting  and 
admiring  the  handsome  craft 

"On  the  nth,  after  taking  necessary  stores  and  coal,  she  started  on  her 
perilous  voyage  with  the  Brutus  in  attendance.  Later  in  the  day  one  of  the 
boiler  tubes  burst  and  necessitated  hauling  fires  under  the  boiler  in  question. 
The  morning  of  the  i8th  she  picked  up  the  tow-line,  but  about  U.OO  o'clock 
that  night  it  parted  and  she  went  ahead  under  her  own  steam  until  next 
morning,  when  she  was  again  taken  in  tow,  and  proceeded  without  further  mis- 
hap until  she  reached  Honolulu,  where  she  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  the  24th. 

"  The  crew  were  given  liberty,  and  were  cordially  received  and  hospita- 
bly entertained  by  the  residents.  A  large  number  of  visitors  came  off  to  see 
for  the  first  time  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  '  flat-iron  scrappers.'  On  the  2Qth  she 
again  got  up  anchor  and  stood  out  of  harbor,  but  owing  to  an  accident  to  the 
Brutus'  machinery  was  obliged  to  anchor  outside  until  the  evening  of  July 
1st  when,  the  injury  having  been  repaired,  she  again  proceeded  on  her  seem- 
ingly perilous  cruise. 

"  After  an  uneventful,  though  underwater  passage  of  23  days,  she 
emerged  for  a  breathing  spell  in  the  harbor  of  San  Luis  d'Apra,  Ladrone 
Islands.  The  weather  during  the  passage  was  exceptionally  fine,  but  intol- 
erably hot,  many  of  the  firemen  suffered  greatly  from  the  excessive  heat  of 
the  sun  and  fire-rooms  combined,  though  there  were  no  serious  cases.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  25th  she  stood  out  of  the  harbor  after  the  Brutus,  and  later 
in  the  evening  was  taken  in  tow.  Nothing  of  moment  occurred  and  the  pas- 
sage to  Cavite  was  made  without  any  noteworthy  happening  with  the  excep- 
tion that  during  the  last  three  days  quite  a  blow  was  encountered.  She 
arrived  at  Cavite  on  the  third  of  August. 


OUR   SOLDIERS   IN  THE   CAPTURE   OF    MANILA.        241 

"  Bulacan  Volcano  was  sighted  the  day  before  arrival  at  Cavite,  on  enter- 
ing the  straits  of  San  Bernardino,  and  was  the  first  land  sighted  after  leaving 
the  Ladrones.  As  she  plunged  through  the  heavy  swell  to  her  anchorage 
amid  the  fleet,  the  crews  of  the  American  men-o'-war  welcomed  her  with 
many  hearty  cheers,  for  she  was  looked  upon  as  the  precursor  of  a  speedy 
attack  upon  the  city. 

"  The  Monterey  is  a  low  freeboard  monitor,  4,084  tons,  5,244  horse- 
power, twin  screws.  She  carries  a  battery  of  two  10  and  two  12-inch  guns 
and  a  secondary  battery  of  6  six  and  four  I  pounders. 

Cruise  of  the  Monadnock. 

"  With  bunkers  and  every  available  space  from  the  superstructure  deck 
down  filled  with  coal,  the  Monadnock,  in  company  with  the  collier  Nero, 
steamed  out  of  San  Francisco  June  25,  for  her  long,  hazardous  trip  across  the 
Pacific,  to  Manila  via  Honolulu.  As  she  swept  grimly  down  the  bay,  the 
cheering  thousands  on  the  shore  growing  into  a  dark  mass,  the  screaming 
whistles  of  steamers,  tugs  and  factories  made  a  medley  of  sound  that  told 
better  than  words  the  tumult  of  patriotic  ardor  that  was  sweeping  through 
our  country  and  struck  an  answering  chord  in  the  hearts  of  the  brave  boys  on 
the  '  fighting  flat-iron.'  The  army  signal-men  '  wigwagged  '  a  Godspeed,  and 
the  light-ship  on  the  bar  gave  her  a  parting  salute. 

"  The  first  night  out  was  very  disagreeable.  Quite  a  heavy  sea  was  run- 
ning, one  particularly  heavy  one,  carrying  away  the  port  buoy  and  about 
thirty  tons  of  coal  from  the  after  turret.  Diamond  Head  was  sighted  about 
3.30  Sunday  afternoon,  July  3d.  The  Mohican  was  in  port,  and  her  crew 
manned  the  rigging  and  cheered  the  doughty  monitor  as  she  steamed  into 
harbor. 

"  It  takes  a  sailor  to  truly  realize  the  magnitude  of  the  peril  in  under- 
taking this  trip.  The  Monadnock  surprised  all  hands  by  her  quick  trip,  and 
it  is  thought  she  could  have  made  it  in  a  day  less  had  it  not  been  for  the 
Nero.  The  trip  took  about  ten  days  and  four  hours.  On  the  '  Glorious  Fourth ' 
everything  afloat  and  ashore  was  decked  out  in  bunting  of  every  descrip- 
tion. It  was  a  holiday  of  both  the  Americans  and  Hawaiians.  Red,  white 
and  blue  predominated,  and  yellow  was  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  At  noon 
a  salute  of  42  guns  were  fired,  21  for  each  nation,  by  all  the  vessels  in  harbor 
and  the  battery  ashore. 

"  July  6th  the  troopships  Indiana  and   Morgan   City  arrived.     General 

MacArthur  visited  and   inspected  the  monitor,  receiving  the  honors  due  his 

rank.     On  the  7th  the  steamer  Newport  arrived  carrying  General  Merritt  and 

staff  and  a  number  of  soldiers.     He  received  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns.     Next 

16-D 


242        OUR   SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA. 

day  the  troop  ship  Indiana,  Morgan  City,  City  of  Para,  Valencia  and  Newport 
having  completed  coaling,  left  for  Manila. 

"The  crew  of  the  Monadnock  were  entertained  and  given  a  luncheon  by 
the  ladies  of  Honolulu,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  The  boys  feel  greatly 
honored  by  their  reception,  and  will  always  remember  with  pleasure  and 
regret  the  good  people  and  times  in  Honolulu.  Owing  to  the  breaking  down 
of  the  Indiana  the  five  transports  returned  and  anchored  in  the  harbor. 

"  On  the  1 3th,  after  coaling  and  completing  repairs,  the  Monadnock  pre- 
pared to  leave.  At  eleven  o'clock  she  got  up  anchor  and  left  Honolulu. 
About  2  P.  M.  the  mail  steamer  Coptic,  togged  out  in  gala  attire,  was  sighted 
and  boarded.  From  her  the  news  was  received  of  the  annexation  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet,  the  approaching  sur- 
render of  Santiago,  that  Camara's  squadron  had  entered  the  Suez  on  its  way 
to  the  Philippines,  and  last  but  not  least,  the  bombardment  and  capture  of 
Guam  by  the  Charleston. 

"  The  weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  the  only  drawback  being 
the  intense  heat  which  made  it  very  uncomfortable,  especially  in  the  fire- 
rooms  and  on  the  berth-deck.  August  3d  the  island  of  Guam  of  the  Ladrone 
group  was  sighted,  and  at  1.20  P.M.  she  anchored  and  the  Nero  was  hauled 
alongside  to  give  the  monitor  coal.  There  was  no  sickness  on  board  except 
the  cases  of  a  few  firemen  overcome  by  heat. 

Trading  with  the  Natives. 

"  Natives  came  alongside  with  chickens  and  all  kinds  of  fruit,  which 
were  very  acceptable  after  twenty  days  of  '  Gov'ment  straight/  and  as  their 
prices  were  reasonable  the  boys  lay  in  quite  a  stock  for  '  sea  stores.'  Every- 
thing was  quiet  and  the  natives  appeared  to  be  rather  glad  to  be  under  the 
American  flag. 

"  By  the  sixth  she  had  finished  coaling  and  prepared  for  sea.  At  1 1 
o'clock  a  man-o'-war  was  sighted  coming  in.  The  monitor  was  cleared  for 
action.  The  vessel  proved  to  be  a  German  corvette,  ten  days  out  from  Naga- 
saki, but  could  or  rather  would  give  no  information  whatever. 

"At  1.45  P.M.  the  Monadnock  left  in  tow  of  the  Nero,  and  arrived  at 
.Manila  on  the  i6th  of  August.  Nothing  of  moment  transpired  during  the  run, 
the  only  bad  weather  encountered  being  on  the  night  of  the  1 5th  and  that 
only  of  short  duration,  but  sufficient  to  make  it  decidedly  interesting  for  all. 

"  The  Monadnock  is  a  double-turret  monitor,  twin  screws,  3,990  tons, 
3,000  horse-power,  and  twelve  knots  speed.  She  carries  four  10,  and  two 
rapid-fire  4-inch  in  her  main  battery,  and  two  6,  two  3,  and  two  I -pounders, 
and  two  machine-guns  in  the  secondary. 


OUR   SOLDIERS   IN   THE   CAPTURE   OF   MANILA.        245 

The  life  on  shipboard  is  sure  to  develop  talents  of  every  description 
Men  who  can  wash  a  deck,  splice  a  cable,  edit  a  newspaper  and  write  poetry 
come  to  the  front.  Here  is  a  song  by  one  of  the  Astor  Battery  that  was  very 
popular  among  our  troops. 

Dewey  the  King  of  the  Sea. 

Am: — "THE  PRODIGAL  SON." 
We  have  a  bold  sailor  in  Manila  Bay. 

We  have!  We  have! 
He  captured  the  whole  place  in  half  a  day. 

He  did!  He  did  ! 

The  gunners  they  made  every  shot  tell 
While  they  were  not  touched  by  a  single  shell, 

"Remember  the  '  Maine  '  and  give  'em  h 

Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

They  avenged  our  boys  who  were  killed  on  the  Maine. 

They  did  !  They  did  ! 
The  Spaniards  won't  try  dirty  tricks  again 

They  won't !  They  won't ! 
When  Dewey  sailed  into  Manila  Bay 
A  short  time  ago  on  the  First  of  May 
The  Spaniards  found  out  it  was  moving  day, 

Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

Our  gallant  ships  slipped  through  their  lines. 

They  did  !  They  did  ! 
They  sailed  right  over  the  harbor  mines. 

They  did!  They  did! 

The  gunners  were  primed  with  American  RUM,     [?] 
They  dodged  and  juggled  each  whistling  bomb, 
Sent  three  hundred  Spaniards  to  "  Kingdom  Come," 
Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

The  battery  fired  their  shot  and  shell. 

They  did  !  They  did ! 
But  into  the  water  each  one  fell. 

It  did!  It  did! 

Then  the  flagship  turned  her  ugly  snoot, 
Her  forward  turret  began  to  toot. 
"We'll  give  'em  points  on  how  to  shoot," 

Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

A  torpedo  boat  came  out  with  a  dash. 
It  did!  It  did! 


344        OUR   SOLDIERS   IN  THE   CAPTURE  OF   MANILA. 

For  the  fleet  it  started  like  a  flash. 

It  did  !  It  did  ! 

Not  a  man  at  his  post  was  seen  to  flinch. 
The  Commodore  gave  the  button  a  pinch. 
"  Let  go  your  sixteen-pounders,  Oh  what  a  cinch," 

Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

A  dispatch  came  into  Washington. 

It  did  !  It  did  ! 
And  this  is  the  way  the  lines  they  run, 

It  is !   It  is  ! 

"Their  squadron  now  is  wringing  wet, 
We  made  their  gunners  up  and  get. 
We  scared  them  so  they're  running  yet," 

Sang  Dewey,  the  King  of  the  Sea.  [Repeat.] 

C.  C.  WEBSTER,  Astor  Battery,  U.  S.  Army. 

The  reader  will  notice  the  spirit  of  patriotism  that  shows  itself  in  all  the 
letters,  poems  and  verbal  statements  of  our  soldiers.  To  speak  otherwise 
would  be  treason  to  the  flag,  and  no  traitor  was  found  among  the  gallant  men 
who  fought  for  their  country  in  the  Philippines  or  elsewhere. 

Such  patient  endurance,  such  dash  and  courage  in  the  face  of  danger, 
such  enthusiastic  devotion  to  officers,  and  such  willing  sacrifice  for  the  honor 
of  their  country,  have  not  been  surpassed  in  the  annals  of  military  and  naval 
warfare. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Aguinaldo  and  Other  Leaders  of  the  Insurgents. 

|S  soon  as  the  American  troops  took  possession  of  Manila  the  old 
town  began  to  show  signs  of  a  new  life.  Our  soldier  boys  brought 
their  Yankee  enterprise  with  them.  All  sorts  of  schemes  were 
devised,  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  making  money,  but  in  addition 
to  this  to  afford  recreation  and  amusement.  It  was  well  understood  that  the 
whole  world  was  hungry  for  news  concerning  our  naval  and  military  opera- 
tions in  the  Philippines. 

This  led  to  the  starting  of  several  newspapers,  published  in  English,  the 
object  of  which  was  to  furnish  detailed  accounts  of  what  was  transpiring  both 
in  the  army  and  navy.  It  is  really  surprising  that  with  the  limited  resources 
of  our  soldiers  they  could  furnish  publications  so  well  edited  and  the  mechan- 
ical execution  of  which  was  so  creditable.  One  of  these  was  entitled  the 
"American  Soldier,"  and  its  columns  contained  information  which  had  never 
before  been  furnished  to  the  public,  and  the  reliability  of  which  cannot  be 
doubted.  One  issue  of  this  journal  contained  a  graphic  account  of  the  insur- 
gent general,  Aguinaldo,  and  his  staff.  We  reproduce  this  here  just  as  the 
journal  printed  it. 

AGUINALDO  AND  HIS  STAFF. 

What  the  Insurgent  Leader  Really  Hopes  to  Do  and  What  his  Chances  are. 

Wealthy  Filipinos  are  Opposed  to  a  Filipine  Republic. 

They  Prefer  American  Rule. 


"  In  the  opinion  of  the  men  in  Manila  best  informed  on  the  subject,  and 
who  have  the  most  trustworthy  and  extensive  sources  of  information,  the 
insurgent  situation  is  developing  a  serious  aspect.  Aguinaldo  plans  a  crafty 
game,  and  he  is  a  skillful  player.  Nominally  the  American  occupation  of  the 
city  is  peaceful.  There  is  comparatively  very  little  lawlessness  for  a  city  of 
the  size  of  Manila,  and  things  go  smoothly.  Business,  although  apparently 
reviving,  cannot  go  very  far,  because  the  insurgents  hold  the  provinces,  and 
the  commerce  of  Manila  itself  is  only  a  part  of  the  business  of  the  port. 
Hemp,  sugar,  tobacco  and  wood  come  from  the  interior  and  furnish  the  bulk 

246 


246       AGUINALDO   AND    OTHER    INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

of  Philippine  trade.  All  these  are  shut  off,  and  there  is  no  telling  now  when 
the  embargo  will  be  raised. 

"  Meantime  the  Americans  patiently  await  developments  at  home  and  in 
Paris,  and  Aguinaldo  waxes  warm.  He  has  sent  part  of  his  men  into  the 
fields  to  plant  rice  for  future  war  necessities,  but  scores  and  hundreds  of  others 
take  their  places,  drawn  from  other  parts  of  the  island,  and  although  in  the 
city  and  close  about  it  his  adherents  are  peaceful  and  quiet,  outside  the  terri- 
tory held  by  the  Americans  his  preparations  for  war  to  the  bitter  end  go  on 
with  increasing  vigor  on  his  part,  and  the  same  story  of  siege,  demoralization 
and  defeat  on  the  side  of  the  Spanish. 

"  Aguinaldo  is  a  young  man  of  slight  stature,  with  cold,  impassive  face. 
He  is  a  born  leader  of  men,  of  undoubted  shrewdness  and  ability.  In  spite 
of  all  that  has  been  said  about  the  bribery  deal  by  which  the  last  insurrection 
was  settled  by  the  Spanish  on  payment  of  several  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  Aguinaldo  and  some  of  his  principal  followers,  in  spite  of  the  legal  row 
they  got  into  at  Hong  Kong  over  the  distribution  of  this  "  prize  money,"  his 
friends  and  those  who  know  him  best  assert  that  Aguinaldo  is  honest  and  sin- 
cere. They  cite  in  proof  that  he  is  poor.  He  is  not  particularly  well  edu- 
cated, but  considering  the  circumstances  of  his  birth  and  early  years,  it  is  rather 
to  his  credit  that  he  has  any  education  at  all  than  derogatory  to  him  that  he 
is  not  a  learned  man. 

Has  the  Power  to  Draw  Men  to  Him. 

"  Years,  or  the  lack  of  them,  are  also  against  him  on  this  score.  But, 
educated  or  not,  he  has  without  doubt  the  personal  magnetism  that  draws  men 
of  his  race  to  him.  Among  certain  elements  of  the  Filipinos — usin^  Fili- 
pino in  the  broad  sense  as  meaning  natives  of  the  islands — particularly  among 
the  Tagalogs,  his  own  people,  he  has  undoubtedly  a  very  great  popularity, 
and  by  nearly  all  the  natives  of  whatever  tribe  or  class  he  is  held  in  high 
esteem. 

"  Many  of  the  Filipinos,  particularly  the  genuine  Filipinos — using  the 
term  now  in  its  specific  sense  of  Spanish-native  half-caste — are  better  edu- 
cated than  Aguinaldo  and  have  won  greater  wealth.  Some  of  these  do  not  con- 
sider him  to  be  fitted  by  nature  or  training  for  the  responsible  post  of  head  of 
their  Government.  Except  for  his  work  in  the  insurgent  cause  his  experience 
in  administration  was  "  little  governor,"  as  the  Spanish  call  it,  a  sort  of  sub^ 
chief,  or  tax  collector,  of  a  small  town  in  one  of  the  provinces. 

"  No  one  realizes  more  clearly  now  than  Aguinaldo  and  his  leaders  them- 
selves the  utter  inability  of  the  insurgents  to  maintain  an  independent  govern- 
ment of  their  own  without  the  protection  of  some  strong  stable  power.  This 


AGUINALDO   AND    OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS.       247 

was  not  always  true.  Aguinaldo  has  dreamed  great  dreams,  as  strong, 
,-irnbitious  men  do.  There  was  a  time  not  so  very  long  ago,  when  young 
Sandico,  the  bicycle -making  professor  of  languages,  who  is  one  of  the  most 
honorable  of  Aguinaldo's  followers,  was  in  rather  serious  trouble,  suspected 
as  to  his  loyalty,  by  his  chief,  and  in  actual  fear  of  his  life,  because  he  had  the 
temerity  to  warn  Aguinaldo  repeatedly,  and  to  insist  on  his  position,  that  an 
independent  Filipino  republic  would  be  independent  but  in  name,  and  even 
that  for  only  a  short  time. 

"  We  should  be  the  victims  of  the  ambitions  of  all  Europe,  said  Sandico, 
and  Aguinaldo  sent  him  to  live  in  San  Roque  alone,  out  of  the  councils  of  the 
Government  and  uncertain  as  to  his  fate.  Now,  however,  Aguinaldo  sees  that 
Sandico  was  right  and  has  modified  his  own  views.  Sandico  is  again  in  favor 
and  at  the  present  is  one  of  Aguinaldo's  most  useful  men  in  Manila,  where  he 
is  a  sort  of  Commissioner-General,  bearing  an  olive  branch  and  an  oil  bag, 
ready  to  be  peace-maker  wherever  and  whenever  there  threatens  to  be  the 
slightest  collision  between  the  insurgents  and  the  Americans. 

Will  Fight  Against  Foreign  Rule. 

"  Retrocession  from  his  original  idea  of  independence  has  fixed  Aguin- 
aldo with  apparently  immovable  purpose  in  a  new  position  but  little  removed, 
so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  from  the  old  one.  The  great  dream,  he  knows,  was 
only  a  dream,  but  the  ambition  that  pursuaded  itself  for  so  long  that  it  could 
vault  to  such  heights  will  not  be  convinced,  by  peaceful  arguments  at  least,  that 
the  next  lower  elevation  is  still  too  lofty  for  its  attainment.  Aguinaldo  is  done 
with  colonial  governments.  While  he  has  guns  to  shoot  and  men  to  fire  them 
he  will  be  no  more  a  '  colonial.'  Rather  be  a  rebel  all  his  life  and  die  on  the 
gallows  or  be  shot  like  a  dog.  And  it  is  not  only  a  Spanish  colonial  govern- 
ment that  he  will  fight,  but  it  is  any  colonial  government,  Spanish,  preferred 
if  it  must  be  fought,  but  American  just  as  earnestly  if  that  becomes  the  neces- 
sity from  his  view-point.  While  Aguinaldo  leads,  the  insurgents  will  not  sub- 
mit peaceably  to  be  a  colony  of  any  government  on  earth.  Aguinaldo  gives 
up  independence  and  falls  back  on  a  Filipino  republic  under  the  protection 
of  some  strong  power,  preferably  the  United  States,  in  that  position  it  is  a 
case  of  "y  yvsuis  j^y  reste" 

"  For  other  reasons  than  that  he  would  become  ambition's  victim  Aguin- 
aldo is  wise  in  renouncing  his  dream  of  independence.  The  Filipinos  are  unfit, 
for  self-government.  It  is  fair  to  assume,  and  testimony  of  men  familiar  with 
the  peoples  of  the  islands  bears  out  the  assumption,  that  the  Tagalogs  are 
the  most  advanced  of  all  the  native  tribes.  They  have  had  the  advantage, 
such  as  it  is,  of  association  with  Spanish  civilization.  That  is  not  the  greatest 


248       AGUINALDO   AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

good  fortune  that  could  have  befallen  them,  but  it  is  a  tremendous  advance 
over  the  other  fellows,  who  have  had  for  associates  simply  themselves  or 
other  savages.  Ideas  of  government  are  in  the  crudest  state  among  them, 
and  even  among  the  Tagalogs  and  pure  Filipinos — Spanish  half-castes — 
there  are  comparatively  few  men  who  understand  the  scope  and  responsibility 
of  self-government. 

"  There  are  men  in  Manila,  some  of  them  officers  of  our  army,  who  have 
'had  extensive  dealings  with  Aguinaldo  and  his  leaders,  who  are  satisfied  that 
some  of  them  are  honorable  men,  thoroughly  trust  worthy,  and  quite  capable 
of  self-government.  But  even  these  friends  of  the  insurgent  chiefs  admit  that 
the  capable  and  trustworthy  men  are  too  few  in  number  either  to  organize  or 
conduct  a  government  of  their  own.  It  might  be  of  the  people,  but  neither 
for  nor  by  the  people.  These  friends  of  Aguinaldo  are  convinced  that  they 
are  correct  in  their  estimate  of  him  and  his  principal  leaders,  but  there  are 
other  American  officers  who  hold  exactly  opposite  views.  They  believe  him 
to  be  purely  selfish,  a  shrewd,  crafty  schemer  for  personal  advantage,  as  utterly 
unworthy  of  trust,  as  incapable  of  organizing  or  managing  an  equable  or 
stable  government.  To  such  an  extent  is  opinion  divided.  There  is  this  fact 
to  Aguinaldo's  credit,  that  only  strong  men  so  divide  the  estimates  other  men 
make  of  them. 

Incapable  of  Good  Government. 

"  Aside  from  the  question  of  the  integrity  and  ability  of  Aguinaldo  and 
his  chiefs,  however,  the  question  of  their  self-government  presents  other  prac- 
tically insurmountable  difficulties.  They  would  be  obliged  to  fill  many  of 
the  more  important  official  posts  and  all  the  minor  ones  with  men  whose  only 
standard  of  government  is  that  set  them  by  the  Spanish,  a  system  of  corrup- 
tion, treachery,  deceit,  bribery,  robbery,  tyranny  and  meanness  almost  beyond 
the  comprehension  of  upright  men.  Equity  and  justice  are  qualities  but 
slightly  developed  in  the  average  Filipino.  Their  actions  since  the  Americans 
occupied  Manila  have  demonstrated  this  fact.  Under  pretense  of  collecting 
subscriptions  to  the  insurgent  cause,  a  regular  system  of  blackmail  has  been 
practiced.  Men  apparently  authorized  by  the  sub-chiefs  to  make  levies  have 
gone  among  the  native  residents  of  the  city  and  enforced  contributions. 

"It  is  probable  that  not  much  of  this  money  reached  the  insurgent  treas- 
ury,—the  larger  part  of  it  being  divided  among  the  sub-chiefs.  The  natives 
living  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city  have  been  subjected  almost  daily  to  the  de- 
mands of  small  bands  of  marauders  whose  sole  object  apparently  was  loot, 
for  that  is  about  all  it  amounts  to.  In  several  cases  the  Americans  have 
caught  the  freebooters  once  or  twice  red-handed,  and  if  the  business  is  npt 
stopped  speedily,  there  will  be  some  severe  punishment  of  the  offenders. 


AGUINALDO   AND    OTHER    INSURGENT   LEADERS.       249 

"  Still  another  demonstration  of  the  inability  of  Aguinaldo  to  achieve 
self-government  and  maintain  it,  is  found  in  the  fact  that  even  in  his  own  camp 
there  is  difference  of  opinion.  It  is  a  common  assertion  that  every  Filipino 
is  an  insurgent  by  nature  and  from  desire.  No  doubt  that  is  true  as  it  stands. 
But  not  every  Filipino  is  an  Aguinaldo  man,  and  recent  developments  have 
made  the  situation  more  difficult  for  the  young  chief.  The  more  impetuous 
and  hot-headed  among  them  are  chafing  under  the  restraint  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  American  occupation  of  the  city,  and  particularly  by  the  regula- 
tions which  forbid  them  entrance  into  the  city  in  force  or  with  their  arms. 
Their  hearts  were  set  on  marching  into  the  city  with  their  army  when  the 
Spanish  flag  came  down.  So,  indeed,  was  Aguinaldo's,  and  his  longing  for  a 
Roman  triumph  led  him  to  ask  General  Merritt  for  permission  to  take  his 
men  in  behind  the  American  soldiers. 

"The  request  was  ignored, and  Aguinaldo  cloaked  his  disappointment  as 
best  he  could  and  made  a  show  of  restraining  his  men.  This  gave  rise  to 
suspicion  of  his  motives  among  some  of  his  leaders.  Now  there  is  undoubt- 
edly divided  loyalty  among  the  chiefs,  and  great  differences  of  opinion  exist 
among  them.  There  are  among  his  subordinates  men  who  are  dishonest  and 
unworthy  of  trust.  Some  of  them  have  conducted  themselves  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  cast  great  discredit  on  the  insurgents.  Aguinaldo  knows  this, 
but  either  he  is  powerless  to  prevent  it  or  he  is  afraid  to  make  the  effort  for 
fear  of  open  insubordination,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing. 

Trying  to  Win  Followers. 

"  He  is  making  a  serious  effort  to  stop  the  petty  marauding  blackmail 
and  lawlessness  in  the  suburbs  and  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  is  making  a  politic  appeal  for  support  to  some  of  the  influential  Filipinos 
in  the  city  who  have  not  heretofore  been  affiliated  with  his  cause.  Under  the 
Spanish  administration  the  city  was  divided  into  districts,  administered  by 
officials  under  the  title  of  '  little  governors.'  These  districts  are  subdivided 
into  barrios,  at  the  head  of  which  were  sub-chiefs,  their  principal  business 
being  the  collection  of  taxes.  Now  Aguinaldo  has  appointed  a  committee 
of  thirty  substantial  and  well-respected  Filipinos  in  the  city,  called  a  '  Junta 
Directiva,'  to  look  out  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  insurgent  cause  in  Manila. 

"This  Junta  has  appointed  a  sub-committee  for  each  district,  which  shall 
have  charge  of  the  collection  of  funds  voluntarily  subscribed  to  the  insurgent 
cause.  Each  sub-committee  authorizes  an  agent  in  each  barrio  to  make  the 
collections,  and  Aguinaldo  hopes  by  the  establishment  of  these  authorized 
and  responsible  collection  agencies  to  put  an  end  to  the  plundering  by  the 
lawless.  He  is  fairly  well  supplied  with  funds  at  present.  He  is  credited 


2-00      AGUINALDO   AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

with  having  about  $500,000,  silver,  all  told.  These  are  public  funds,  and  he 
is  using  them  for  the  public  uses,  as  the  insurgents  see  them.  The  insurgents 
have  a  cartridge  factory,  which  employs  400  persons. 

"  In  the  face  of  all  obstacles  Aguinaldo  pushes  ahead.  If  he  had  a  uni- 
versal following  among  his  own  people  it  would  be  far  less  difficult,  but  even 
the  experiment  of  the  appointment  of  the  Junta  in  Manila  is  as  yet  of  doubt- 
ful result.  Many  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influential  Filipinos  are  not; 
Aguinaldo  men,  and  would  not  willingly  vote  for  him  as  their  chief  magis- 
trate. Inside  Manila  the  natives  generally  are  not  in  active  sympathy  with 
the  insurrection.  Those  who  were,  fled  to  the  country  during  the  siege. 
Some  of  the  richer  and  more  prominent  Filipinos  in  the  city  say  that  if  the 
Americans  govern  the  Filipinos  for  one  year  the  Filipinos  will  dwindle  away 
from  Aguinaldo  until  he  will  have  no  army  left. 

Deserters  from  Aguinaldo. 

"  Aguinaldo  is  alive  to  all  this.  His  eight  adjutants  have  been  sent  into 
the  city,  each  with  a  specific  district  to  watch,  simply  to  keep  track  of  what 
is  going  on,  and  prevent  collisions  between  members  of  his  forces  and  citizens 
or  Americans.  Thus  he  hopes  to  prevent  trouble  in  one  quarter  while  it  is 
preparing  for  him  in  another.  Only  a  little  before  the  surrender  of  the  city 
to  the  Americans  the  story  went  about — in  fact,  it  was  announced  at  Bakor — • 
that  Legarda,  Aguinaldo's  private  secretary,  had  deserted  to  the  Spaniards. 
At  first  this  was  taken,  by  those  who  know  something  of  the  Filipinos,  to 
iruan  simply  that  Legarda  was  up  to  some  scheme  in  the  city,  with  the  object 
of  helping  on  a  general  uprising.  But  it  turns  out  that  the  tale  was  true. 
Legarda  did  desert.  Now  it  is  asserted  openly  by  many  of  Aguinaldo's 
friends  that  some  of  his  agents  are  collecting  funds  with  the  deliberate  inten- 
tion of  running  away  as  soon  as  they  have  got  enough  in  hand  to  make  it 
worth  while.  Aguinaldo  knows  this  also,  and  it  was  one  of  the  reasons  that 
led  to  the  appointment  of  the  Junta  in  Manila. 

"  Realizing  these  difficulties,  facing  these  obstacles,  knowing  that  there  is 
disaffection  among  his  followers,  and  suspecting  that  there  are  treachery  and 
treason,  Aguinaldo  still  persists  and  dreams  dreams  of  power  and  place, 
fondly  believing  that  they  are  within  his  grasp.  To  the  open-minded  Ameri- 
can, wanting  only  a  fair,  complete,  unbiased  view  of  the  situation  in  order  to 
make  up  his  mind  as  to  the  retention  of  these  islands  by  the  United  States,  or 
the  surrender  of  them  to  the  Filipinos,  how  does  the  picture  appeal  ?  Does  ifc 
show  the  ability  for  self-government  or  does  it  not?  For  the  men  here  who 
are  familiar  with  the  situation  on  the  spot,  there  is  only  one  answer. 

"  Filipino  self-government,  to  paraphrase  the  pyrotechnic  ex-statesman 


AGUINALDO   AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS.       25i 

from  Kansas,  is  an  iridescent  dream.  Few  even  of  the  Junta  here  are  favor- 
able to  the  effort  for  self-government.  The  more  honest,  unprejudiced,  and 
fair-minded  Spaniards  of  the  commercial  class,  who  have  not  profited  by  offi- 
cialism, the  most  influential,  wealthiest,  and  best-educated  Filipinos,  and  the 
Britishers  to  a  man,  they  who  control  the  largest  financial  and  business  enter- 
prises and  have  the  largest  interests  at  stake,  are  praying  that  the  Americans 
will  hold  the  country,  and  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  will  float  over  the 
Lunetta,  as  Dewey  hopes,  "forever,  forever." 

"  These  are  the  perplexities  which  beset  Aguinaldo,  and  the  facts  which 
will  operate  against  the  realization  of  his  dream.  There  is  another  side 
of  the  picture,  or  rather,  in  stricter  truth,  another  picture  of  the  Filipinos — 
that  which  shows  their  successes  in  the  field.  Since  we  landed  in  Cavite,  in 
the  third  week  in  May,  Aguinaldo  has  done  some  wonderful  things.  It  is 
true  that  at  the  start  most  of  his  successes  were  obtained  by  the  desertion  of 
his  people  from  the  foolish  Spaniards,  who  deluded  themselves  into  the  belief 
that  the  voluntaries  would  be  loyal  to  the  death.  By  the  steady  process  of 
desertion  Aguinaldo  chased  the  Spanish  line  nearly  fifteen  miles  in  what  was 
practically  one  day.  But  now  it  is  more  like  fighting.  Success  comes 
slowly,  yet  it  keeps  on  coming  to  the  insurgent  arms. 

Number  Cannot  be  Estimated. 

"  It  is  practically  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  of  insurgents  under 
arms  in  the  vicinity  of  Manila.  There  is  no  effective  organization  of  the 
army.  No  captain  knows  how  many  men  exactly  he  has  in  his  command, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  he  has  the  same  number  or,  indeed,  the  same  men  two 
days  in  succession.  When  a  Filipino  gets  tired  of  staying  at  home  he  takes 
his  gun  and  goes  to  the  front.  When  he  gets  tired  of  staying  at  the  front,  he 
takes  his  gun  and  goes  home.  That's  all  there  is  of  it.  But  in  a  general  way 
the  officers  know  what  men  are  in  the  country  and  who  have  guns.  To 
increase  the  general  difficulties  of  enumeration  the  men  are  being  sent  contin- 
ually to  other  provinces  to  aid  in  the  fighting  against  the  Spanish  garrisons 
which  still  hold  out. 

"  Besides  this  many  of  the  fighting  men  have  followed  Aguinaldo's 
advice,  taken  a  rest  from  active  warfare  now,  and  gone  to  planting  rice  against 
the  time  when  warfare  shall  become  likely  again  and  there  will  be  no  time  to 
wait  for  crops  to  fill  hungry  bellies.  The  most  accurate  estimate  of  the  insur-, 
gent  force  around  Manila  must  be  based  upon  the  number  of  arms  known  to; 
be  in  the  possession  of  Aguinaldo,  and  even  that  makes  use  of  other  esti- 
mates, which  are  really  little  better  than  guesses. 

*  The  principal  source  of  supply  from  which  Aguinaldo  drew  to  arm  his 


252       AGUINALDO   AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

men  was  the  Spaniards  themselves.  They  armed  and  equipped  about  12,000 
natives,  who,  when  the  time  came,  went  over  by  companies  and  regiments  to 
the  insurgents,  taking  guns  and  equipment  with  them.  Next  in  point  of  num- 
bers came  the  Spanish  prisoners  captured  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  the 
arms  the  Spanish  left  in  places  which  they  abandoned  to  the  insurgents. 
These  guns  number  about  8;ooo.  When  the  rebellion  began  there  were  in 
the  hands  of  the  Filipinos  about  15,000  guns.  They  got  from  the  arsenal  in 
Cavite  about  2,500  more  and  they  bought  from  a  firm  of  '  gentlemen  adven- 
turers/ who  managed  to  deliver  the  goods,  2,000  more.  In  all  they  have  had 
nearly  40,000  guns. 

"  It  is  probable  that  the  Spanish  got  back  a  few  thousands  of  these  by  the 
old  successful  method  of  bribery,  apparently  the  best  weapon  for  offensive 
warfare  a  Spaniard  knows.  They  offered  amnesty  and  $50  to  each  insurgent 
who  surrendered  himself  and  his  gun,  and  the  loyal  followers  of  Aguinaldo 
held  themselves  cheap  at  fifty  dobe  dollars.  This  is  the  estimate  of  an  army 
officer,  who  has  made  special  investigation  of  the  subject.  In  several  particu- 
lars it  is  very  liberal. 

The  Insurgents  Supplied  with  Arms. 

"  The  insurgents  have  claimed  6,000  prisoners  at  the  most.  They  got 
500  rifles  from  the  arsenal  at  Cavite  and  500  more  from  the  Spaniards,  taken 
at  Isla  de  Grande  in  Subig  Bay.  This  would  cut  the  estimate  3,500.  It  is 
doubtful  if  now  the  insurgents  have  more  than  30,000  rifles.  They  are  oi 
several  makes,  principally  Mausers  and  Remingtons.  They  have  been  most 
abominably  misused,  and  undoubtedly  have  lost  largely  in  effectiveness.  But 
armed  as  they  are,  and  with  such  ammunition  as  they  could  get,  Aguinaldo's 
men  have  pushed  a  vigorous  campaign,  and  this  is  the  state  of  affairs  with 
them  now. 

"  In  the  island  of  Luzon  they  control  the  provinces  of  Cavite,  Batangas, 
Tarlac,  Pampangas,  Zambales,  Pangasinan,  Bataan,  Bulacan,  Tayabas  and  La 
Union.  Day  before  yesterday  they  captured  the  city  of  Santa  Cruz,  capital 
of  the  province  of  La  Laguns.  The  city  was  garrisoned  by  about  600  Span- 
iards. Besides  these  and  their  arms  and  equipment  the  insurgents  captured 
a  considerable  amount  of  money,  and  there  was  a  lot  of  looting.  The  island 
of  Mindoro,  south  of  Manila,  is  entirely  in  the  control  of  the  insurgents.  The 
province  of  Tayabas  is  a  recent  capture,  and  there,  too,  the  insurgents  got  a 
lot  of  money  and  other  property. 

"  At  Albay,  in  the  province  of  La  Laguna,  the  little  Spanish  garrison  is 
besieged  by  the  insurgents.  In  Morong,  the  capital  of  the  province  of 
Morong,  there  is  a  garrison  of  260  Spaniards  undisturbed  by  insurgents  as 


AGUINALDO  AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS.       255 

yet,  but  their  time  of  trouble  will  soon  come.  The  Spanish  are  withstanding 
siege  in  Daet,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Camarines  Norte,  and  Nueva 
Caceres,  capital  of  the  province  of  Camarines  Sur.  The  Spanish  hold  the 
provinces  of  Isabela,  Cagayan,  Ilocos  Norte  and  Ilocos  Sur,  but  the  insur- 
gents have  sent  forces  to  attack  some  of  the  garrisons,  and  will  get  after  the 
others  before  long.  Aguinaldo  is  preparing  to  transfer  his  headquarters  from 
Bakor  to  Malolos,  on  the  railroad  about  half  an  hour  north  of  the  city. 

"  This  is  a  good  strategetical  move.  Bakor  is  between  the  American 
orces  at  Manila  on  the  north  and  Conte  on  the  south,  with  the  Laguna  behind 
him.  A  sharp,  swift  advance  from  both  points  at  once  would  crumble  him 
up  before  he  takes  the  two  forces,  or  send  him  scurrying  into  the  mountains 
behind  Irnus.  In  the  north,  however,  he  takes  no  such  risk,  and  there  is 
plenty  of  country  behind  him  easy  of  access  for  his  men,  but  extremely  diffi- 
cult for  our  soldiers  to  traverse. 

"  At  the  time  Aguinaldo  proclaimed  his  republic  and  appointed  his  Cabi- 
net he  left  vacant  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State,  announcing  that  it  was 
reserved  for  *  the  man  who  should  be  deemed  most  fit '  for  its  difficult  duties. 
He  had  in  mind  at  the  time,  and  still  has,  Cayetano  S.  Arellano,  who  has  the 
reputation  of  being  a  clever  lawyer  and  the  best  man  among  the  native  popu- 
lation. He  is  believed  to  be  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  the  Philippines  to 
the  United  States,  and  has  declared  his  belief  that  his  people  are  not  suffi- 
ciently advanced  to  be  able  to  govern  themselves. 

Excuse  for  Staying  Away. 

"  He  has  been  in  Pagsanjan  during  the  present  rebellion,  and  although 
Aguinaldo  has  sent  for  him  several  times  he  has  always  returned  an  excuse 
and  stayed  away.  His  best  excuse  was  that  he  could  not  get  through  Santa 
Cruz,  but  now  that  the  Spanish  there  have  surrendered,  that  excuse  has  lost 
its  force  and  he  probably  will  come  in. 

"  For  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Aguinaldo  appointed  Leandro  Ibarra,  a 
lawyer  who  is  considered  generally  an  honest  man. 

"  The  Secretary  of  War  is  Baldomero  Aguinaldo,  first  consin  of  the 
insurgent  leader.  He  was  once  a  schoolmaster  and  is  always  a  conceited  ass. 

"  Mariano  Trias,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  is  one  of  those  wooden- 
headed  men  of  whom  the  best  that  his  friends  can  say  is,  that  he  is  '  an  honest 
fellow  who  means  well.'  Among  the  people  he  probably  stands  next  to  Aguin- 
naldo  himself  in  popularity.  He  was  Vice-President  of  the  insurgent  govern- 
ment in  the  last  rebellion. 

"Among  the  commanders,  generals  and  subordinate  officials,  Aguinaldo 
has  some  able,  honest  men  and  some  scoundrels.  Brigadier-General  Pio  del 


254      AGUINALDO  AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

Pilar,  who  is  in  command  of  one  of  the  zones  adjacent  to  the  city  of  Manila, 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  biggest  scoundrels.  He  is  instigating  or  winking  at 
a  series  of  crimes  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city  which  will  bring  him  into  the 
hands  of  the  Americans  before  very  long,  and  there  will  get  short  shrift. 
Aguinaldo  knows  him  and  a  shrewd  guesser  would  say  that  the  insurgent 
leader  would  not  be  sorry  if  Pio  del  Pilar  ended  his  existence  before  a  file  of 
American  rifles. 

"Sandico  is  just  the  opposite  of  Pio  del  Pilar.  He  is  one  of  the  cleverest 
of  the  Filipino  leaders,  and  is  an  upright,  honorable  man,  with  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  limitations  of  his  people  and  of  the  circumstances  and  diffi- 
culties which  surround  their  struggle  for  liberty. 

"  One  of  the  cleverest  men  associated  with  Aguinaldo  is  his  secretary  and 
interpreter,  Escamilla.  He  is  an*  accomplished  linguist,  speaks  Spanish 
fluently,  English  very  well,  and  Latin  and  French,  besides  the  native  dialects. 
He  is  also  a  musician,  and  gave  piano  lessons  in  Hong  Kong  before  the  rebel- 
lion began. 

"Aguinaldo's  navy  of  two  or  three  steamers,  including  the  Filipinas, 
whose  crew  murdered  their  Spanish  officers,  is  commanded  by  Estafan  de  la 
Rama,  who  carries  the  title  of  Commandante  de  Marina.  He  is  educated, 
rich,  and  has  a  reputation  for  honesty  and  ability*  Among  his  councillors 
Aguinaldo  has  some  good  men. 

A  Clever  Lawyer  and  Diplomat. 

"  It  is  reported  here  that  Don  Felipe  Agoncillo  is  to  be  one  of  Aguin- 
aldo's emissaries  before  the  Paris  Commission,  that  is,  if  Aguinaldo's  men  get 
a  hearing.  Agoncillo  has  been  the  insurgent  agent  in  Hong  Kong.  He  is  a 
lawyer  and  clever. 

"  Among  his  generals  Aguinaldo  has  most  any  kind  of  a  man  you  want 
The  ranking  officer  is  Riego  de  Dios,  who  is  a  Lieutenant-General.  He  is 
the  Military  Governor  of  Cavite,  and  would  be  of  more  service  perhaps,  if  he 
were  better  educated,  which  is  his  misfortune  rather  than  his  fault.  At  least 
he  is  reputed  to  be  honest.  Major-General  Ricati,  who  has  command  of  the 
zone  south  of  Manila,  is  another  who  '  means  well. '  Pantelon  Garcia,  who  is  in 
command  of  the  operations  to  the  north  of  the  city,  is  not  very  well  educated, 
but  is  honest. 

"  Besides  these  there  are  a  lot  of  other  generals.  Norie,  a  bullet-headed, 
good-humored  young  man,  of  whom  I  have  written  at  length  before,  likes  a 
cock  fight  and  a  good  square  meal  and  has  both.  Also,  he  has  won  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  good  soldier.  Estrell,  who  commands  the  forces  in  Cavite, 
has  a  reputation  for  honesty  if  not  for  ability,  which  is  all  that  can  be  said  of 


AGUINALDO  AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS.      25£ 

Mascai  do.    Young  Gregoria  del  Pilar  has  a  good  education  and  is  honest,  but 
he  has  a  lot  to  learn  about  the  art  and  science  of  war." 

In  the  same  issue  of  the  " American  Soldier,"  from  which  the  foregoing 
sketch  of  Aguinaldo  is  taken,  there  was  a  spirited  poem,  quite  characteristic 
of  the  war  spirit  in  our  country,  and  which  we  reproduce  for  the  benefit  of 

our  readers. 

FLING  OUT  YOUR  BANNER. 

•WRITTEN  BY  THE  FATHER  OF  A  BOY  IN  MANILA,  UPON  HEARING  OF  OUR 

VICTORIES.) 

Fling  out  your  banners,  and  shout 
For  Freedom  and  Liberty, 
Type  of  salvation, 
To  our  happy  nation. 
Hurrah  for  the  Flag  of  the  Free  I 

On  May-day  our  Dewey,  defiant  and  bold, 

Flung  out  its  bright  folds  at  Manila, 
And  soon  the  grand  story  of  valor  was  told, 

That  sunk  the  proud  ships  of  Castilla. 
Now  Cuban  cliffs  echo  our  battleships'  boom : 

O'er  Cuba  is  flashing  "  Old  Glory  !  " 
The  fleet  of  Cervera  has  met  with  its  doom, 

Spain's  grandeur  lives  only  in  story. 

Fling  out  your  banners,  and  shout 
For  Freedom  and  Liberty, 

All  our  endeavor, 

Forever  and  ever, 
Is  due  to  the  Flag  of  the  Free. 

On  every  ocean  that  flag  is  unfurled, 

It  covers  the  seas  with  its  splendor ; 
The  emblem  of  safety  throughout  the  world 

We  need  no  other  defender. 
From  Indies  in  East  to  Indies  in  West, 

The  sun  in  its  course  shall  see 
Its  radiant  colors,  the  brightest  and  best, 

That  beautiful  Flag  of  the  Free  ! 

Fling  out  your  banners,  and  shout 
For  Freedom  and  Liberty, 

Our  country  rejoices, 

O  lift  up  your  voices 
In  praise  of  the  Flag  of  the  Free. 


266      AGUINALDO  AND   OTHER   INSURGENT   LEADERS. 

No  stain  of  dishonor  has  sullied  that  sheet, 

Whose  colors  our  land  are  adorning ; 
No  guest  with  perfidious  force  does  it  greet, 

To  betray  him  to  death  without  warning. 
Our  battleship's  sunk  in  Havana's  foul  tide, 

The  victim  of  treacherous  Spain ; 
But  our  flag  shall  soon  wave  where  our  heroes  have  died  * 

Then  let  us  "  Remember  the  Maine." 

Fling  out  your  banners,  and  shout 
For  Freedom  and  Liberty, 

But  Oh !  the  dishonor 

That  §pain  drew  upon  her ; 
And  Oh !  that  dear  Flag  of  the  Free  1 

Our  soldiers  are  thronging  from  mountain  to  sea, 

And  o'er  the  broad  ocean  they're  sailing, 
Oh  God  !  in  Thy  mercy,  wherever  they  be, 

Uphold  them  in  courage  unfailing. 
And  when  that  dear  flag  leads  them  all  safely  home, 

To  comforts  of  love  and  peace ; 
No  longer  the  tidings  of  battle  shall  come, 

And  clangor  of  war  shall  cease. 

Fling  out  your  banners,  and  shout 
For  Freedom  and  Liberty, 

Peace  and  salvation, 

For  our  happy  nation, 
Three  cheers  for  the  Flag  of  the  Free  \ 

The  information  contained  in  this  chapter  is  of  special  interest,  since  it 
is  derived  directly  from  an  American  journal  published  at  Manila,  and  is  not 
made  up  from  mere  hearsay.  The  reader  will  be  interested  in  the  following 
graphic  account  of  the  Spanish  prisons,  written  for  the  columns  of  the 
American  Soldier,  by  George  Arthur  Smith.  We  cannot  do  better  than  to 
quote  from  the  columns  of  the  paper. 

Thrilling  Description  of  Spanish  Prisons. 

"  A  great  deal  has  been  written  and  published  relative  to  the  Manila 
prisons,  but  the  American  Soldier  congratulates  itself  in  obtaining  the  follow- 
ing detailed  write-up  of  the  prisons  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  George  Arthur  Smith, 
its  former  editor. 

"  Manila  is  a  prison  in  itself,  and  within  the  very  walls  that  make  it  such 


AGUINALDO  AND  OTHER  INSURGENT  LEADERS.      25> 

jre  subprisons  and  dungeons  wherein  the  light  of  day  has  never  shone  and 
wherein  many  an  unlucky  and  miserable  offender  against '  Spanish  honor ' 
has  met  death  on  the  rack,  death  from  starvation,  death  from  drawing,  death 
in  a  thousand  forms,  but  death  invariably.  Even  the  houses  are  built  more 
like  prisons  than  dwellings,  their  stout  mahogany  doors  burdened  with  enor- 
mous shackles  of  iron,  and  their  windows  cleated  and  barred  with  the  same 
material.  The  whole  city  bristles  with  warlike  defences,  and  barriers,  as  if 
suspicious  of  everything  and  every  one.  In  such  a  city  it  is  but  natural  that; 
one  would  look  for  prisons  galore,  and  they  are  here. 

"  Principal  among  them  is  the  Presidio  de  Manila  or  Philippine  Peniten- 
tiary, situated  at  the  corner  of  San  Pedro  and  Calle  de  Alix.  This  prison, 
connected  with  the  Carcel  de  Bilibid  and  the  Bilibid  military  prison,  has  been 
standing  in  its  present  position  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  and  within  its 
moss  covered  walls  has  probably  been  witnessed  as  much  suffering  and  misery 
as  within  ten  times  its  area  the  world  over.  The  records  now  in  possession 
of  the  United  States  authorities  date  back  to  1808,  and  it  is  hard  for  human 
mind  to  understand  why  the  very  walls  of  this  hell  on  earth  have  not  trembled 
with  indignation  at  the  tortures  they  have  guarded,  and  fallen  upon  the 
Spanish  managers  in  their  own  fire-pan. 

Prisoners  Discharged. 

"  The  Presidio  corresponds  to  our  state  prisons.  In  it  are  incarcerated 
prisoners  who  have  been  sentenced  to  serve  two  years  or  more.  At  present  it 
contains  756  prisoners,  this  being  a  far  less  number  than  at  any  date  of  its 
history.  The  difference  being  occasioned  by  pardons  given  by  Uncle  Sam. 
Several  prisoners'  terms  have  expired  since  the  Americans  came  into  charge, 
and  it  has  not  been  considered  necessary  to  fill  their  places,  as  the  Spaniards 
evidently  did,  by  fair  means  or  foul. 

"  The  buildings  are  called  barracks  and  are  numbered.  In  the  different 
barracks  are  confined  the  various  classes  of  criminals.  For  instance,  the  first 
building  contains  prisoners  serving  from  two  to  four  years;  the  second,  from 
four  to  eight  and  so  on.  ' 

All  the  prisoners  are  Philippines,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three 
Chinamen  and  the  five  Spanish  officers  who  were  formerly  in  charge  of  the 
prison.  Three  of  the  latter  are  charged  with  embezzling  the  sum  of 
$16,233,32  from  the  funds  of  the  prison  between  the  I3th  day  of  August  and 
the  1st  of  October,  on  which  latter  date  the  prison  was  taken  possession  of 
by  the  American  forces.  The  first  step  of  the  reforms  contemplated  by  the 
Americans  was  to  free  the  miserable  culprits,  who  had  for  years  carried  with 
them  the  crude  shackles  of  the  Spanish  yoke.  This  was  done  on  the  1st  day 
17-D 


AGUlNALbO  AND  OTHEk  INSURGENT  LEADERS, 

of  October,  and  on  that  date  upwards  of  300  men  took  their  first  unfettered 
step  for  years. 

"  One  poor  old  decrepit  native  had  been  thus  hampered  for  twenty  years, 
and  he  had  actually  forgotten  how  to  walk.  The  last  of  the  ten  Spanish 
prisoners  confined  here,  excepting  the  Spanish  officers  before  mentioned,  had 
been  in  the  prison  for  ten  and  a  half  years  without  ever  having  been  given 
the  privilege  of  a  trial  and  without  having  any  official  charges  preferred 
against  him.  He  has  a  family  in  Porto  Rico  and  left  for  there  on  the  T.  S. 
Scandia,  with  a  life-long  gratitude  for  his  Americans  rescuers. 

"'  The  routine  which  the  prisoners  undergo,  is  military.  All  calls  are 
from  the  bugle  and  all  movements  and  inspections  executed  with  military 
precision.  First  call  is  at  5.25  A.  M.  They  are  given  a  breakfast  of  rice  and 
native  coffee,  prepared  in  an  enormous  caldron  by  prisoner  cooks.  At  6  A. 
M.,  they  go  to  their  work  and  are  kept  busy  until  11.30  A.  M.  when  they 
assemble  for  a  dinner  of  soup,  rice  and  sugar.  They  are  then  locked  up  until 
2  P.  M.,  when  they  again  resume  work  to  5  P.  M. 

"  Their  supper  is  the  same  as  dinner,  and  retreat  is  sounded  at  5. 30  when 
they  are  paraded  and  inspected,  standing  at  parade-rest  as  the  strains  of  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner  echoes  between  the  walls,  and  as  Old  Glory  glides  to  its 
sunset  rest.  The  prisoners  have  their  own  band,  and  a  good  one  it  is.  They 
are  allowed  two  hours  of  each  day  to  practice. 

Ingenuity  of  the  Prisoners. 

"  A  visit  to  the  Presidio  will  surprise  one  as  to  the  ingenuity  displayed 
in  the  various  work-shops  in  the  manufacture  of  almost  everything  conceiv- 
able. They  manufacture  cane  trunks,  valises  and  baskets,  canes,  tastefully 
carved,  silverware  of  all  kinds,  statuary  in  clay  and  plaster-paris.  In  fact  it 
would  be  hopeless  to  enumerate  the  labors  of  the  prison.  They  run  a  first- 
class  laundry,  taking  in  clothes  at  the  rate  of  $1.00  per  hundred  pieces,  and 
the  clothes  are  not  pounded  on  a  rock  as  many  an  American  has  ascertained 
to  be  the  general  custom  through  his  wearing  apparel  becoming  decidedly 
thin  and  somewhat  broken  of  texture. 

"  At  present  the  prison  is  overwhelmed  with  work,  all  available  men 
,being  put  to  work  on  a  large  order  for  bamboo  cots  from  the  government. 
They  are  turning  out  from  seventy-five  to  eighty  of  these  cots  per  day,  and 
the  cots  are  delivered  to  their  different  destinations  by  the  prisoners  them- 
selves under  guard.  In  this  way  many  of  the  prisoners  have  seen  their  first 
sight  of  the  outside  world  in  years. 

"  Carcel  De  Bilibib  contains  520  prisoners,  mostly  natives,  but  a  few 
Chinamen.  This  prison  is  similar  to  our  work-house  in  plan  of  confinement, 


AGUINALDO  AND  OTHER  INSURGENT  LEADERS. 

all  prisoners  here  serving  time  less  than  two  years.  At  present  this  prison  k» 
not  as  much  Americanized  as  the  Presidio  de  Manila,  and  no  work  is  being 
done  there.  The  prisoners  are  all  sentenced  to  hard  labor,  however,  and  will 
be  put  to  work  as  soon  as  it  becomes  practical  to  begin  this  branch  of  the 
institution. 

"  The  saddest  and  most  gruesome  prison  I  have  yet  visited  is  the  Bilibib 
Military  Prison,  where  I  found  thirty-five  brother  soldiers  incarcerated  for 
crimes  against  their  oath  of  service  to  the  United  States. 

"It  is  here  that  all  soldiers  are  imprisoned  for  failure  to  obey  important 
orders  or  for  insults  to  officers  or  the  flag.  Their  routine  is  much  the  same 
as  in  quarters,  but  they  are  closely  guarded,  and  during  the  time  of  their 
sentence  they  are  not  permitted  to  see  or  talk  to  any  one.  They  can  write 
but  one  letter  each  month,  which  has  to  be  read  by  the  officer  in  charge  before 
mailing.  All  letters  addressed  to  a  prisoner  must  also  be  read,  and  if  it  is 
from  the  boy's  immediate  relatives  and  contains  more  than  ordinary  gossip 
it  is  returned  to  the  sender. 

"All  prisoners  are  here  admitted  in  what  is  called  the  ' second-class. ' 
Their  clothing  is  brown,  and  in  the  second-class  the  prisoner  is  labeled  with 
a  large  letter  put  on  the  back  of  his  coat,  and  the  same  letter  on  the  front  of 
one  trouser  leg  and  on  the  back  of  the  other.  The  colors  of  the  letters  are 
changed  to  white  or  blue  as  the  conduct  of  the  prisoner  places  him  in  the 
first  or  third-class. 

Brutal  Torture  of  the  Convicts. 

"  As  to  the  past  disgraces  these  prisons  have  been  to  Spain,  none  too 
much  can  be  written  nor  can  one  describe  the  horrors  of  their  tortures.  Old  pris- 
oners have  told  me  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Spanish  soldiers  to  amuse 
themselves  by  torturing  the  prisoners.  They  would  ask  for  a  number  of 
them  when  time  hung  heavy,  and  took  them  into  the  courtyard,  where  they 
were  tortured  in  every  way  that  a  corrupt  Spanish  mind  could  conceive  of. 
Their  shin-bones  were  scraped  with  a  bayonet.  Pins  were  driven  into  their 
fingers  beneath  the  nails.  Their  eyeballs  were  scraped  with  sandpaper. 
They  were  suspended  by  the  toes  or  by  the  thumbs.  Their  shoulders  were 
dislocated  by  opposing  sides,  each  pulling  the  prisoners'  arms  at  the  end  of  a 
rope  in  opposite  directions  until '  Spain's  noble  sons '  tired  of  their  sport. 

"  Executions  were  performed  on  Manila's  fashionable  drive — the  Lunetta. 
On  the  2Oth  of  December,  1896,  seventy-seven  prisoners  were  shot  as  a  mat- 
ter of  discipline,  according  to  the  records,  but  ostensibly  to  make  room  for 
more  wretched  culprits,  many  of  whom  were  convicted  of  no  greater  crime 
than  some  trifling  offence  against  jpriestly  dignity  or  '  Spanish  honor.' " 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Filipinos  and  Their  Country. 

OW  that  the  Philippine  Islands  are  in  the  hands  of  Uncle  Sam,  it 
occurs  to  the  average  American  that  we  have  taken  into  our  fold, 
at  least  temporarily,  one  of  the  races  of  the  earth  regarding  which 
but  little  is  known,  and  that  little  showing  that  it  is  a  people  as 
ignorant  as  our  nation  is  advanced  in  civilization.  For,  while  Manila  has  a 
population  composed  of  whites  largely,  there  is  a  vast  extent  of  surrounding 
land  almost  unexplored.  The  few  travelers,  however,  who  have  penetrated 
the  country  give  most  interesting  descriptions  of  the  natives  peopling  the  dis- 
tant mountains  and  plains. 

The  strangest  and  most  unique  of  the  Philippine  races  is  the  collection  of 
tribes  called  Negritos,  which  is  the  Spanish  for  negro,  that  word  meaning 
black,  thus  denoting  the  tint  of  the  persons  to  whom  reference  is  made. 
When  Magellan  discovered  the  islands,  in  March,  1521,  these  people  com- 
posed a  large  part  of  the  population  in  what  was  called  by  him  the  Island  of 
St.  Lazarus.  But  at  present  they  have  dwindled  till  there  are  but  25,000 
left,  these  mainly  residing  in  three  provinces,  and  hiding  themselves  away 
from  contact  with  the  whites. 

Strange  Ideas  and  Customs. 

In  their  wild  mountain  homes  these  Negritos,  or  Agitas  as  they  are  also 
called,  live  pretty  much  the  life  they  did  hundreds  of  years  ago.  Resenting 
the  approach  of  the  Spaniard,  they  have  kept  up  a  continual  warfare,  to  which 
strife  is  due  their  gradual  decline,  and  the  retention  of  their  barbarous  ideas 
and  customs. 

In  appearance  these  people  are  so  small  as  to  be  properly  denominated  as 
dwarfs,  for  they  are  as  petite  as  the  tribe  of  Bosjemans  of  Africa,  standing 
only  a  little  over  four  feet  high.  They  are  brown  as  to  complexion,  with 
rather  good  features,  broad,  flat  noses,  woolly  hair,  worn  in  a  mop  around  the 
head,  while  their  eyes  have  a  yellow  tint.  Though  some  travelers  say  they 
have  good  figures,  there  are  others  who  assert  that  the  Negritos'  form  is 
bowed  into  ungainly  curves. 

The  dress  of  the  Negritos  is  not  Parisian  in  style,  but  is  admirably 
adapted  to  a  warm  climate,  consisting  mainly  of  a  sort  of  fringe  of  plaited  bark 
260 


THE  FILIPINOS   AND   THEIR   COUNTRY.  261 

worn  around  the  waist,  while  the  brown  skin  is  tatooed,  as  we  find  amongst  all 
savage  nations.  Their  manner  of  smoking  is  to  place  the  lighted  end  of  the 
cigar  between  the  teeth.  A  peculiarity  of  the  race  is  their  wonderful  dex- 
terity with  their  toes,  being  able  with  these  members  to  perform  many  acts 
commonly  left  to  the  hands. 

Being  a  wild  people,  there  is  no  attempt  made  at  agriculture,  but  they 
live  on  game,  fish,  which  they  are  expert  in  spearing  from  their  light  canoes ; 
honey  in  the  forests,  wild  fruits,  which  grow  abundantly  in  the  tropics ;  roots, 
cabbage  and  palms.  The  dog  is  their  only  domestic  animal.  In  the  chase 
they  are  adepts  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  girls  being  quite  as  proficient 
as  the  boys  in  this  accomplishment.  Their  method  of  hunting  is  to  poison 
the  tips  of  the  arrows  with  a  peculiar  substance,  which  induces  a  terrible 
thirst  in  the  animal  or  person  wounded,  and  on  drinking  death  takes  place. 
The  hunter  then  cuts  immediately  away  the  poisoned  part,  so  that  the  rest  of 
the  meat  will  not  be  infected. 

Story  of  a  Good  Bishop. 

All  efforts  to  civilize  the  Negritos  have  so  far  proven  futile  and  there  is  a 
good  story  told  on  a  former  Bishop  of  Manila,  who  had  taken  in  charge  and 
educated  for  the  priesthood  a  young  man  of  the  tribe.  Growing  restldss 
under  restraint,  the  man  threw  aside  his  clerical  garb,  returned  to  his  tribe  in 
the  mountains  and  out-Heroded  Herod  in  his  savage  ways.  Having  no 
horses  they  wander  about  on  foot,  camping  in  the  forests  where  game  abounds, 
and  when  they  have  made  a  good  killing,  remaining  on  that  spot  till  the  meat 
is  exhausted.  Each  tribe  numbers  about  sixty  people  and  is  headed  by  a 
chief,  who  is  usually  the  oldest  man  in  the  party.  With  no  house  to  care  for, 
they  simply  gather  about  the  fire,  around  which  they  lie  at  night  in  a  circle, 
with  the  head  towards  the  flames. 

It  is  said  that  their  speech  is  strangely  like  that  of  chirping  birds,  but 
that  fact  may  be  due  to  the  foreigner's  ignorance  of  their  tongue.  Unlike 
most  barbarous  races,  each  man  has  but  one  wife,  and  their  manners  are 
remarkably  chaste.  When  a  young  man  goes  courting  his  girl,  the  custom 
is  for  her  to  literally  "  take  to  the  woods  "  at  sunrise  and  remain  there  till 
sunset,  she  hiding  from  his  sight.  If  he  is  skilled  enough  to  capture  the  coy 
maiden,  she  becomes  by  this  his  wife.  Of  course,  it  depends  on  the  girl's  own 
taste  whether  or  not  she  shall  be  found. 

Great  reverence  is  paid  by  these  people  to  their  dead,  and  it  is  their 
custom  each  year  to  lay  on  the  grave  of  a  friend  a  bit  of  betel  nut,  while  the 
bow  and  arrows  of  a  man  are  always  buried  with  him. 

The  next  most  interesting  race  inhabiting  the  Philippines  is  the  Malay 


THE   FILIPINOS  AND   THEIR   COUNTRY.  265 

station  for  commerce  than  the  town  of  Manila,  situated  as  it  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  richest  countries  of  Asia  and  almost  midway  between  Europe 
and  America." 

Spanish  jealousy  for  a  long  time  closed  the  port  of  Manila,  but  after  our 
Revolution  it  was  opened  to  all  nations,  and  since  then  the  Philippines  have 
risen  rapidly  in  commercial  importance.  Formerly  their  export  trade  was 
confined  chiefly  to  sugar  and  indigo,  for  Europe,  and  the  costly  Indian  bird's 
nest  and  snails,  considered  as  a  restorative  of  strength,  for  the  Chinese.  But 
the  islands  are  full  of  natural  wealth.  Coffee  of  the  best  quality,  cocoa,  two 
kinds  of  cotton,  grow  wild.  Abundance  of  the  finest  sago  trees  and  whole 
woods  of  cinnamon  flourish  in  Luzon.  Nutmegs,  cloves  and  all  the  produce 
of  the  Moluccas  abound,  and  also  pearl,  amber  and  cochineal  ;  gold,  silver 
and  other  metals.  The  Philippines  now  export,  besides  these,  sapan  wood, 
ebony,  sulphur,  tortoise  shell,  cordage,  cloth  of  native  manufacture,  and  very 
delicate  and  curious  jewelers'  work  in  gold  and  silver. 

Mixed  and  Variable  Climate. 

The  climate  of  these  islands  has  the  mingled  softness  and  violence  of  the 
tropics.  The  humid  air  gives  them  the  appearance  of  perpetual  spring.  The 
trees  are  always  in  leaf,  the  fields  always  covered  with  flowers,  and  blossom 
and  fruit  often  appear  together  on  the  same  tree.  But  earthquakes  and  hurri- 
canes frequently  devastate  this  smiling  beauty,  as  the  principal  part  of  the 
group  comes  within  the  latitude  of  the  typhoons.  The  islands  are  traversed 
by  lofty  chains  of  mountains,  in  which  volcanoes  occur,  and  these  volcanoes 
are  considered  as  safety  valves  against  earthquakes,  since  the  extinction  of 
their  eruptions  is  always  followed  by  terrific  upheavals.  The  rainy  season 
lasts  from  May  until  September  or  sometimes  December.  The  vegetation  is 
consequently  over-luxuriant. 

The  principal  grain  is  rice.  Wheat  was  introduced  by  the  Spaniards- 
Cocoa  was  brought  there  in  1570,  and  has  thriven  finely,  but  European  fruit 
trees  cease  to  bear  when  transported  thither.  The  orange  tree  grows  in  the 
open  fields ;  wild  bananas,  palms,  bread  fruit,  and  betel-nut  trees  are  indige- 
nous. The  tobacco  is  considered  the  best  in  Asia.  Cattle  are  numerous,  and 
fish  abound  in  amazing  variety.  Boars,  monkeys  and  poisonous  snakes  infest 
the  forests,  and  crocodiles  the  multitudinous  rivers. 

In  this  lazy  climate,  with  his  few  wants  supplied  by  over-generous  nature, 
it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  native  should  develop  much  energy.  In 
fact,  the  great  obstacles  to  the  development  of  the  Philippines  have  been,  first, 
the  aversion  of  the  islanders  to  field  labor,  and,  second,  the  policy  pursued  ty 
Spain, 


264  THE  FILIPINOS  AND   THEIR   COUNTRY. 

almost  bare  of  vegetation,  so  that,  excepting  the  Mafonso  and  Maleo  moun- 
tains behind  Manila,  and  the  chains  of  mountains  running  north  and  south  of 
the  entrance  to  the  bay,  there  is  really  nothing  attractive  about  the  harbor. 

The  bay  is  unsafe  in  the  northeast  and  southwest  monsoons,  and  until  a 
few  years  ago  vessels  over  300  tons  had  to  run  for  shelter  to  the  naval  port  of 
Cavite,  the  smaller  craft  finding  a  safe  anchorage  behind  a  breakwater  facing 
the  Pasig  River.  There  is  now,  however,  a  breakwater  for  larger  craft. 

The  river  Pasig  is  about  fourteen  miles  long,  and  has  its  rise  in  a  pretty 
lake  called  Laguna  de  Bayo.  It  divides  Manila  in  two  parts,  and  on  its 
northern  banks  are  large  ware-houses — a  bazaar  occupied  chiefly  by  Chinese, 
known  as  the  Escolta,  and  trending  eastward  an  extensive  suburb  of  native 
dwellings,  extending  several  miles  up  the  river.  Behind  the  Escolta  lies 
Binondo,  the  business  part  of  Manila,  and  San  Miguel,  the  fashionable 
quarter,  where  Spaniards  and  foreigners  have  their  residences  together  with 
the  palaces  of  the  captain-general  and  the  admiral  of  the  fleet. 

Public  Buildings  in  a  Garden  of  Flowers. 

On  the  south  bank  of  the  Pasig  and  about  one  mile  from  the  mouth  is 
the  old  fort  of  St.  lago.  Within  the  fort  wall  lies  the  old  city  of  Manila. 
It  is  approached  by  several  gates — the  principal  being  the  Entrada,  near  it  is 
the  custom-house.  The  old  city  is  fairly  clean,  but  there  is  no  trade  carried 
on  within  its  limits.  The  public  edifices,  such  as  the  governor's  palace,  the 
town  hall  and  the  cathedral,  are  in  a  large  square  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a 
statue  of  Charles  IV,  surrounded  by  a  garden  of  flowers.  To  the  buildings 
mentioned  may  be  added  the  hospitals,  monasteries,  prison,  mint,  university 
and  arsenal. 

The  climate  of  Manila  is  healthy,  but  the  place  is  frequently  visited  by 
violent  hurricanes,  earthquakes  and  fearful  thunder  storms.  Telegraphic 
communications  were  established  between  Manila  and  Hong  Kong  in  1880. 

Cavite,  the  Spanish  naval  port  in  the  Philippines,  is  on  a  small  tongue  of 
land  projecting  into  the  same  bay  on  which  Manila  is.  It  is  about  ten  miles 
only  from  that  city,  and  has  a  population  of  about  5,000.  The  place  is  forti- 
fied, and  has  an  arsenal  and  depot  for  naval  stores.  The  entire  province  of 
Cavite  is  very  flat  and  has  no  important  rivers.  The  chief  industries  of  the 
place  are  cigar-making  and  the  cultivation  of  rice,  indigo,  sugar  and  cofTee. 

The  happy  geographical  position  of  the  archipelago  is  the  first  thing  to 
strike  an  observer.  It  is  situated  upon  the  immediate  coast  of  China,  closf 
to  Japan,  connected  by  an  unbroken  chain  with  all  the  islands  to  the  south 
and  east  of  it,  and  lies  in  the  direct  route  between  the  old  and  the  new  world. 

"  The  whole  world,"  says  Kotzebue,"  does  not  offer  a  more  advantageous 


THE   FILIPINOS  AND   THEIR   COUNTRY.  265 

station  for  commerce  than  the  town  of  Manila,  situated  as  it  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  richest  countries  of  Asia  and  almost  midway  between  Europe 
and  America." 

Spanish  jealousy  for  a  long  time  closed  the  port  of  Manila,  but  after  our 
Revolution  it  was  opened  to  all  nations,  and  since  then  the  Philippines  have 
risen  rapidly  in  commercial  importance.  Formerly  their  export  trade  was 
confined  chiefly  to  sugar  and  indigo,  for  Europe,  and  the  costly  Indian  bird's 
nest  and  snails,  considered  as  a  restorative  of  strength,  for  the  Chinese.  But 
the  islands  are  full  of  natural  wealth.  Coffee  of  the  best  quality,  cocoa,  two 
kinds  of  cotton,  grow  wild.  Abundance  of  the  finest  sago  trees  and  whole 
woods  of  cinnamon  flourish  in  Luzon.  Nutmegs,  cloves  and  all  the  produce 
of  the  Moluccas  abound,  and  also  pearl,  amber  and  cochineal  ;  gold,  silver 
and  other  metals.  The  Philippines  now  export,  besides  these,  sapan  wood, 
ebony,  sulphur,  tortoise  shell,  cordage,  cloth  of  native  manufacture,  and  very 
delicate  and  curious  jewelers'  work  in  gold  and  silver. 

Mixed  and  Variable  Climate. 

The  climate  of  these  islands  has  the  mingled  softness  and  violence  of  the 
tropics.  The  humid  air  gives  them  the  appearance  of  perpetual  spring.  The 
trees  are  always  in  leaf,  the  fields  always  covered  with  flowers,  and  blossom 
and  fruit  often  appear  together  on  the  same  tree.  But  earthquakes  and  hurri- 
canes frequently  devastate  this  smiling  beauty,  as  the  principal  part  of  the 
group  comes  within  the  latitude  of  the  typhoons.  The  islands  are  traversed 
by  lofty  chains  of  mountains,  in  which  volcanoes  occur,  and  these  volcanoes 
are  considered  as  safety  valves  against  earthquakes,  since  the  extinction  of 
their  eruptions  is  always  followed  by  terrific  upheavals.  The  rainy  season 
lasts  from  May  until  September  or  sometimes  December.  The  vegetation  is 
consequently  over-luxuriant. 

The  principal  grain  is  rice.  Wheat  was  introduced  by  the  Spaniards- 
Cocoa  was  brought  there  in  15/0,  and  has  thriven  finely,  but  European  fruit 
trees  cease  to  bear  when  transported  thither.  The  orange  tree  grows  in  the 
open  fields;  wild  bananas,  palms,  bread  fruit,  and  betel-nut  trees  are  indige- 
nous. The  tobacco  is  considered  the  best  in  Asia.  Cattle  are  numerous,  and 
fish  abound  in  amazing  variety.  Boars,  monkeys  and  poisonous  snakes  infest 
the  forests,  and  crocodiles  the  multitudinous  rivers. 

In  this  lazy  climate,  with  his  few  wants  supplied  by  over-generous  nature, 
it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  native  should  develop  much  energy.  In 
fact,  the  great  obstacles  to  the  development  of  the  Philippines  have  been,  first, 
the  aversion  of  the  islanders  to  field  labor,  and,  second,  the  policy  pursued  ty 
Spain, 


266  THE  FILIPINOS  AND  THEIR  COUNTRY. 

When  first  visited  by  Magellan  in  his  voyage  around  the  world  they 
were  inhabited  by  a  race  of  savages  inferior  in  every  respect  to  the  adjacent 
pagan  nations.  The  Spanish  Government  took  possession,  by  means  of  a 
fleet  sent  from  Mexico,  and  slowly  absorbed  island  after  island,  but  finding  no 
rich  manufactures  or  mines  did  not  trouble  itself  at  first  about  commerce, 
being  satisfied  with  drawing  a  fixed  capitation  tax  from  the  natives.  The 
unappropriated  land  was  freely  distributed  to  colonists,  and  the  result  was  an 
intermixture  of  the  native  and  colonial  population,  which  contributed  to  raisef 
the  condition  of  the  former. 

Spain  did  not  perpetrate  in  the  Philippines  those  cruelties  of  which  she  ha^ 
been  guilty  in  all  her  other  colonies.  In  fact,  she  had  no  pretext  for  them  here, 
as  the  natives  submitted  easily  both  to  her  dominion  and  that  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  synonymous  here  as  wherever  Spain  has  planted  her  flag. 

It  was  at  Cebu  that  the  Spanish  banner  was  first  unrolled.  A  few  years 
later  a  settlement  was  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  Manila  River  and  constituted 
the  capital  of  the  Spanish  possessions  in  the  archipelago.  The  infant  colony 
of  Manila  was  attacked  by  Chinese  pirates  in  1574,  and  suffered  severely. 
When  the  Dutch  established  themselves  in  India  a  war  began  between  them 
and  the  Spaniards,  which  lasted  nearly  half  a  century.  Meantime  natives  of 
China  had  emigrated  to  the  Philippines  in  such  numbers  that  in  1639  they 
amounted  to  30,000.  The  Spaniards  hated  these  emigrants,  in  spite  of  their 
industry  and  inoffensiveness,  and  about  1639  made  an  attack  upon  them,  and, 
in  the  words  of  an  old  writer,  "  reduced  their  numbers  to  7,OOG,  who  surren- 
dered at  discretion."  In  1757  the  Viceroy  of  the  islands  sent  all  the  Chinese 
back  to  their  own  country,  nor  have  any  been  allowed  since  to  settle  in  the 
Philippines  except  by  embracing  the  Christian  religion. 

Manila  Once  Captured  by  the  English. 

In  the  war  which  broke  out  in  1761  between  Great  Britain  and  Spain,  ao 
English  fleet  attacked  Manila  and  took  it  after  a  siege  of  twelve  days.  It 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  English  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  by 
treaty  the  town,  with  the  port  of  Cavite,  was  restored  to  Spain. 

Since  that  time  the  colonies  have  not  been  molested  by  Europeans, 
though  they  have  been  obliged  to  repel  constant  attacks  from  the  natives  of 
those  islands  which  are  not  Spanish. 

The  government  of  the  Philippines  has  usually  from  the  earliest  times 
been  in  the  hands  of  a  military  man,  though  sometimes  naval  officers,  mem- 
bers of  the  Supreme  Court,  or  even  ecclesiastics,  have  administered  it.  The 
Tuler  has  the  local  rank  of  Captain-General,  and  holds  office  for  three  years. 
£  he  archipelago,  including  Sulu,  is  divided  into  thirteen  provincial 


THE  FILIPINOS  AND   THEIR   COUNTRY.  267 

pents,  three  military  general  divisions,  forty-three  military  provincial  divisions 
?jid  four  provincial  governments  under  naval  officers — a  total  of  sixty-three 
divisions  and  subdivisions. 

Side  by  side  with  this  civil  government  stands  the  power  of  the  church, 
which  has  exerted  an  immense  influence  on  the  local  history  of  these  islands, 
generally  retarding  and  hampering  the  Administration.  A  petrified  conserv- 
atism, the  result  of  this  and  all  the  other  vices  of  Spanish  policy,  has  for 
three  centuries  retarded  the  natural  development  of  the  colony.  Spain  has 
divided  her  attention,  as  usual,  between  gathering  in  dollars  and  saving  souls. 
The  neutrality  of  her  whole  administration,  the  confusion  of  the  legal  system, 
want  of  public  works,  or  even  money  for  repairs  to  highways  and  bridges,  all 
these  are  consequences  of  the  weakness  of  the  Imperial  Government  and  the 
arrogance  of  the  local  rule,  and  fully  account  for  the  fact  that  the  Philippines 
to-day,  in  spite  of  their  natural  advantages,  are  among  the  most  primitive  of 
colonial  possessions. 

After  the  secession  of  Mexico,  in  the  second  decade  of  this  century,  and 
the  consequent  loss  to  Spain  of  the  Mexican  subsidy,  the  Central  Government 
found  itself  obliged  to  relax  somewhat  the  restraint  on  the  development  of  the 
Philippines.  The  islands  yield  an  annual  revenue  of  about  $9,000,000,  derived 
partly  from  customs,  lotteries  and  raffles  and  from  Government  monopolies, 
such  as  opium  and  cock-fighting  and  the  Chinese  capitation  tax.  The  import 
and  export  trade  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  British  and  German  merchants, 
while  the  retail  trade  is  almost  monopolized  by  the  Chinese. 

A  British  Officer  Describes  the  Islands. 

The  city  of  Manila,  on  the  island  of  Luzon,  is  fortified  by  battlemented 
walls  and  surrounded  by  water.  It  is  dull,  sombre  and  monastic  in  appear- 
ance, except  as  the  various  dress  of  the  inhabitants,  foreign,  native,  Chinese 
and  half-breeds,  lends  color  to  the  scene.  The  bay  has  a  circumference  of 
about  1 20  nautical  miles,  and  is  too  large  to  afford  a  safe  shelter  to  shipping. 

A  British  army  officer  has  published  a  book  on  the  Philippines  which 
contains  a  fund  of  valuable  information.  There  are  plenty  of  opinions  and 
judgments  of  both  past  and  present  time  concerning  these  so-called  wards  of 
the  United  States,  but  Major  Younghusband,  who  passed  several  pleasant 
weeks  at  Manila  and  in  the  surrounding  country,  gives  in  "  The  Philippines 
and  Round  About "  a  delightful  series  of  impressions  brimming  with  vitality 
and  spontaneity  and  good  humor.  Major  Younghusband  is  well  known  in 
the  army  of  India,  where  he  is  an  officer  in  the  famous  Corps  of  Guides.  He 
"  stopped  off,"  as  it  were,  at  Manila  on  his  journey  home  to  London. 

The  a,uthqr  traveled  home  after  leaving  Manila  by  the  way  of  Saigon  and 


268  THE  FILIPINOS  AND  THEIR  COUNTRY, 

Java,  and  he  gives  a  spirited  and  entertaining  account  of  French  and  Dutch 
colonial  manners ;  but,  of  course,  what  interests  us  most  is  what  he  has  to  say 
concerning  the  state  of  Manila  after  the  occupation  by  the  American  troops ; 
his  impressions  of  Aguinaldo,  of  the  American  soldier,  and  of  the  Germans 
and  their  affairs  with  Admiral  Devvey ;  and  his  general  and  particular  ideas  con- 
cerning America's  island  empire  in  the  Far  East,  as  an  expert  critic  of  interna- 
tional and  colonial  problems,  and  as  a  very  observing  and  experienced  traveler. 

The  steamer  which  brought  Major  Younghusband  had  scarcely  found 
her  moorings  in  the  Pasig  than  it  was  evident  that  some  new  influence  was  at 
work.  The  ship  was  placed  in  the  charge  of  three  soldiers,  who  represented 
the  Customs  Department.  The  author  managed  to  get  his  personal  baggage 
passed  through  in  a  surprisingly  short  interval  of  time.  So  he  gave  a  quar- 
ter to  the  Good  Samaritan,  who  figured  in  the  uniform  of  a  United  States 
regular,  and  pressed  a  soothing  drink  upon  him. 

"I  mentioned,"  says  the  Major,  "that  I  had  noticed  that  the  other  pas- 
sengers had  had  to  pay  a  good  deal  more  than  we  had.  '  Oh,  yes/  says 
young  Uncle  Sam,  '  but  them's  only  durned  dons,  and  you're  a  Britisher/ 
which  from  an  English  point  of  view  was  an  excellent  argument. 

How  the  Priest  Escaped. 

At  the  same  time  we  saw  the  same  young  fellow  very  good-naturedly 
befriend  a  Spanish  priest  who  had  got  into  some  trouble  with  the  landing  por- 
ters. We  could  not  quite  follow  what  the  trouble  was,  but  the  malcontents 
would  not  allow  the  priest's  carriage  to  depart.  As  a  last  resource  the  priest 
appealed  to  our  friend,  who,  though  he  probably  did  not  understand  the  point 
at  argument  any  more  than  we  did,  cut  the  gordian  knot  with  great  prompti- 
tude by  mounting  on  the  coach  box  himself  and  ordering  the  driver  to  pro- 
ceed at  once,  under  pain  of  having  the  butt-end  of  a  rifle  heavily  planted  on  his 
toes.  These  same  landing  porters  we,  in  our  turn,  found  most  insolent  and 
ill-conditioned  hounds,  of  a  rapacity  which  I  have  seldom  seen  equalled. 

One  might  naturally  expect  to  find  the  Filipinos,  after  several  centuries 
of  Spanish  rule,  a  subservient  lot.  But  this  is  not  the  case.  Once  freed  from 
the  cruelty  of  the  Spanish  yoke,  and  loosed  from  restraint,  and  the  native  of 
the  Philippines  assumes  a  ridiculous  insolence  toward  all  strangers.  It  is  this 
spirit  that  the  Americans  will  have  to  curb.  "  To  take  a  small  instance,  if 
one  goes  into  a  restaurant  or  lives  in  a  hotel  in  England  or  any  of  her 
dependencies,  one  is,  as  a  rule,  treated  with  ordinary  civility  and  attention  by 
the  waiters  and  servants,  men  who  are  paid  to  perform  these  functions.  Our 
experience  of  the  Philippine  servant  was  quite  the  contrary,  for  a  more  lazy 
insolent,  ignorant,  and  feckless  individual  it  would  be  difficult  to  find. 


THE  FILIPINOS  AND  THEIR  COUNTRY.  269 

x  Every  day  and  every  hour  of  the  day  is  borne  forcibly  in  upon  one  the 
impression,  even  allowing  for  the  present  disturbed  state  of  public  feeling,  that 
there  is  an  entire  absence  of  such  national  discipline  as  should  be  the  outcome 
of  centuries  of  well-regulated  European  control." 

The  Major  marvels  at  the  success  of  the  American  officers  in  taking  at 
once  into  their  hands  the  civil  government  of  Manila.  He  writes :  t(  To 
undertake  such  a  task  is  indeed  a  formidable  one,  especially  for  an  army  situ- 
ated far  from  its  base,  and  unable,  therefore,  to  draw  at  once  on  homej 
resources  for  trained  officials.  But,  perhaps,  no  military  force  is  better  situj 
ated  for  meeting  such  a  demand  than  is  an  army  composed  of  the  material 
which  fills  the  ranks  of  the  American  expeditionary  force.  There  are  here 
the  best  part  of  18,000  volunteers,  men  drawn  from  every  rank  of  society, 
lawyers,  merchants,  postal  clerks,  tradesmen,  office  hands  of  all  descriptions, 
university  men  ;  and,  indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  what  trade  or  calling 
is  not  represented.  From  among  these  men  it  is  possible  to  draw  fairly  pro- 
ficient officials  to  man  the  Customs,  Postal  and  Police  Departments,  while  the 
Provost  Marshal  General  became  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  borough  and 
exercised  functions  accordingly." 

Introducing  Tariff  Reforms. 

The  Postal  Department  ran  smoothly  enough,  but  with  the  Customs 
some  initial  difficulties  arose,  for  it  was  manifestly  unfair  on  the  merchants  to 
suddenly  introduce  without  due  notice  a  new  table  of  tariffs,  while  merchan- 
dise imported  under  older  and  higher  tariffs  still  remained  unsold.  On  the 
other  hand,  also,  new  imports,  which  under  the  new  regime  were  destined  to 
bear  higher  customs  rates  would  be  crowded  out  of  the  market,  so  long  as 
the  same  article,  salable  at  cheaper  rates  under  the  old  tariff,  remained  in 
stock.  The  American  Governor,  therefore,  very  wisely  consented  to  intro- 
duce tariff  reforms  gradually  only,  and  after  due  notice  given. 

"The  working  of  the  city  police,"  continues  the  Major,  "came  as  a  new 
and  startling  innovation  to  Spaniards  and  Filipinos  alike ;  the  infraction  of 
the  laws  of  sanitation  and  public  decency  became  a  finable  offence.  The 
custom  of  emptying  slops  out  of  the  window  was  discountenanced,  and  one 
Spanish  officer  who  happened  to  hit  an  American  sentry  in  this  way  spent) 
the  night  in  the  guard-room,  and,  in  addition,  had  to  pay  a  handsome  fine  in 
the  morning.  But  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,  and  though  the  Americans 
worked  sanitary  marvels,  even  in  a  few  weeks,  yet  large  and  comprehensive 
measures  will  be  required  before  Manila  can  rank  as  a  sanitary  town." 

The  author  then  points  out  where  in  particular  are  the  habits  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Spaniards  very  offensive  to  Americans  and  Englishmen,  and  adds : 


Ttt£  FILIPINOS  AKt)  tHEIR  COUNTRY. 

"  It  is  not  surprising  with  this  introduction  to  find  that  the  Spaniards,  even  hi 
a  tropical  climate,  habitually  shun  the  daily  or  even  weekly  bath.  On  the 
rare  occasions  when  necessity  demands  this  dire  expedient,  every  windovi 
and  door  is  carefully  shut,  as  if  ice  blasts  from  the  pole  were  hurling  in,  and 
then  in  solemn  procession  a  very  small  bath,  containing  a  little  very  warm 
water,  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  bedroom.  The  bath  consists  of  what  is 
vulgarly  known  as  a  '  lick  and  a  promise,'  after  which  the  valuable  Don  most 
carefully  dries  himself,  puts  his  clothes  on,  and  opens  the  shutters  inch  by 
inch,  for  fear  he  should  catch  cold  by  a  too  sudden  exposure  to  an  atmos- 
phere of  90  degrees  in  the  shade. 

"  We  were  thinking  of  taking  passage  back  to  Singapore  in  a  large 
Spanish  ship,  carrying  officers  and  men  back  to  Barcelona,  but  were  strongly 
advised  not  to  do  so  by  an  Englishman  who  had  tried  the  experiment.  His 
experience  has  been  that  the  solitary  bathroom  in  the  ship  was  permanently 
filled  with  heavy  baggage,  and  that  not  a  single  soul  on  board,  officers,  ladies, 
or  children,  took  a  single  bath  between  Manila  and  Barcelona,  a  period  of 
thirty -two  days." 

Hard  to  Part  with  Gambling. 

The  supreme  source  of  annoyance  to  the  natives  has  been  the  suppres- 
sion of  gambling,  in  every  evident  form.  "  After  three  centuries  a  habit  or 
pastime  becomes  a  second  nature,  and  therefore  the  stern  suppression  of  cock- 
fighting,  lotteries,  and  gambling  houses  smote  the  good  people  of  Manila 
with  something  approaching  consternation.  The  loss  in  revenue,  too,  is  con- 
siderable, and  will  have  to  be  made  good  by  taxation  in  other  and  perhaps 
less  popular  directions. 

"  The  licenses  for  cock-fighting  alone  brought  into  the  treasury  $150,000 
to  $160,000  a  year,  while  the  percentage  which  fell  to  the  state  from  the 
monthly  Government  lotteries  touched  $600,000  a  year.  These  lotteries  were 
very  popular,  not  only  with  the  Spaniards,  but  with  the  English  at  Hong 
Kong,  Singapore,  and  even  as  far  afield  as  Calcutta.  A  whole  ticket  costs 
$10,  but  was  divided  into  ten  coupons,  each  of  which  could  be  bought  separ- 
;ately  for  $1  apiece;  the  first  prize  amounted  to  as  much  as  $500,000,  and  to 
take  tickets  in  this  monthly  lottery  was  as  much  part  of  a  merchant  or  trader's 
business  as  to  insure  his  business  premises.  Of  course  the  grand  prize  took 
a  good  deal  of  catching,  but  most  investors  found  that  their  gains  in  small 
prizes  generally  kept  their  accounts  fairly  evenly  balanced,  while  the  lucky 
few  made  fortunes  and  nobody  lost  severely." 

Of  course  the  writer  praises  the  cheapness  and  the  excellence  of  Manila 
cigars,  but  besides  them  and  a  kind  of  silk  muslin,  also  exceedingly  cheap, 


THt  FILIPINOS  ANt>  THEIR  COUNTRY. 

there  is  almost  nothing  of  local  value  or  interest  to  be  purchased  in  Manila 
shops.  The  "  silk  muslin  "  mentioned  is  called  "  pina  "  cloth,  and  is  worn  by 
the  women  of  all  classes.  It  varies  in  price  from  50  cents  to  $10.00  a  yard, 
according  to  the  texture,  and  many  of  the  shades  and  patterns  are  said  to  be 
exquisite.  The  author  does  not  fancy  even  the  best  of  Manila  hotels,  and 
advises  all  persons  who  intend  to  visit  there  to  wait  until  the  Americans  have 
had  time  to  start  one  or  two  good  houses. 

Major  Younghusband  desired  very  much  to  visit  the  Filipino  chief 
Aguinaldo.  So  he  asked  Admiral  Dewey  and  the  Military  Governor  whether 
there  would  be  any  objections  to  his  so  doing.  "  None  whatever ;  go  right 
away,"  was  the  reply  in  each  case.  But  the  British  Consul  gave  him  a  word 
of  warning,  and  advised  him  to  go  as  informally  as  possible,  as  the  insurgent 
newspapers  exaggerated  anything  that  they  could  possibly  twist  into  a  sign 
of  foreign  recognition.  He  visited  Malolos  and  saw  some  of  the  officials  of 
the  insurgent  government,  including  the  chief,  whom  he  describes  as  follows  : 

Description  of  the  Insurgent  Commander. 

"Aguinaldo  stands  about  5  feet  4  inches  in  height,  is  slightly  built,  and  was 
dressed  in  a  coat  and  trousers  of  drab  tussore  silk.  He  is  a  pure  Philippine 
native,  though  showing  a  slight  trace  of  Chinese  origin,  of  dark  complexion, 
and  much  pock-marked.  His  face  is  square  and  determined,  the  lower  lip 
protuding  markedly.  On  the  whole,  a  man  of  pleasant  demeanor,  even-tem- 
pered, and  with  strong  character.  Slow  of  speech,  and  perhaps  also  of 
thought,  his  past  career  has  hall-marked  him  as  a  man  of  prompt  decision 
and  prompter  action.  Many  people,  and  among  others  Admiral  Dewey,  were 
much  puzzled  to  find  so  quiet  and  apparently  unintelligent  and  listless  a  young 
man  the  acknowledged  and  undisputed  head  of  so  great  a  movement. 

"  Many  thought  that  he  was  a  mere  puppet  in  the  hands  of  stronger  men, 
others  that  he  was  a  safe,  weak  man,  bolstered  up  by  strong  conflicting  powers 
on  all  sides,  much  in  the  way  that  Switzerland  as  a  nation  is  bolstered  up  in 
Europe  by  strong  powers  on  all  sides.  But  a  remarkably  prompt  action  served 
to  show  that  Aguinaldo  was  no  puppet.  A  short  time  ago  it  appears  that 
another  of  the  insurgent  leaders  began  to  secure  a  following  which  bade  fair 
\£o  shake  the  supremacy  of  Aguinaldo.  The  President  stayed  to  take  no  half 
measures,  attempted  no  parleying ;  he  grasped  the  nettle  firmly,  and,  ordering 
his  reputed  rival  out  into  the  courtyard,  had  him  shot  on  the  spot." 

Major  Younghusband  presents  a  very  lucid  account  of  the  naval  battle  at 
Cavite ;  but  our  readers  must  be  very  familiar  with  stories  of  this  engagement 
by  this  time,  so  we  will  refrain  from  adding  to  them,  even  at  the  risk  of  omit- 
ting something  that  has  not  been  related  before.  His  picture  drawn  of  Mon- 


272  THE  FILIPINOS  AND  THEIR  COUNTRY. 

lojo,  however,  is  so  very  characteristic  and  portrays  so  well  Spanish  character 
in  officialdom,  that  we  may  be  pardoned  for  reproducing  it. 

"A  good  deal  has  been  written  about  the  gallantry  of  the  Spaniards/' 
says  the  author, "  and  that  meed  of  praise  need  not  be  dimmed  in  so  far  as  the 
rank  and  file,  the  sailors,  the  marines,  and  lesser  officers  are  concerned.  They 
fought  in  sinking  rat-traps,  the  victims  of  gross  incompetence  on  the  part  of 
their  superior  officers  and  criminal  neglect  on  the  part  of  those  in  power,  be 
they  Admirals  or  Ministers  of  Government.  Montojo  himself  appears  to 
have  been  an  embodiment  of  the  class  of  superior  officers  to  which  Spain 
intrusts  her  armies  and  fleets. 

"  A  man  of  suave  and  courteous  manners,  but  too  old  for  any  profession 
but  that  of  a  dignitary  of  the  Church,  he  neglected  the  most  manifest  alterna- 
tive, the  defense  of  the  Corregidor  Channels.  With  from  four  to  eight  hours' 
warning,  he  could  devise  no  more  spirited  action  than  to  remain  with  his  ships 
like  a  flock  of  maimed  ducks  at  anchor,  and  his  resistance  was  as  feeble  as  his 
tactics. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  we  are  informed  that  he  waved  his  sword  with  great 
ferocity  from  the  stern  of  the  boat  which  was  taking  him  on  shore,  where  his 
carriage  and  pair  were  ready  waiting  to  carry  him  to  Manila,  fourteen  miles 
away  from  the  fleet  which  he  had  with  culpable  negligence  lost,  and  from  the 
sight  of  a  thousand  corpses  of  brave  men  whom  his  incapacity  had  sacrificed. 
Had  Montojo  gone  to  the  bottom  with  his  comrades  on  the  flagship,  he  would 
at  any  rate  have  died  a  brave  man  ;  living,  he  must  for  the  short  remainder  of 
his  days  exist  only  as  one  of  the  pitiable  monuments  of  a  nation's  decay." 

Nor  does  Major  Younghusband  minimize  the  danger  to  the  general  peace 
that  was  occasioned  by  the  high-handed  manner  of  the  German  Admiral 
toward  Admiral  Dewey.  "  I  never  saw  such  fire-eaters  as  we  have  here/'  said 
the  American  Admiral  to  the  writer.  "I  thought  we  were  going  to  have  a 
European  war  in  the  bay." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Strange  Scenes  in  and  Around  Manila. 

FTER  Admiral  Dewey's  famous  victory  there  were  many  moving 
tales  of  field  and  camp  sent  from  the  far-away  Philippines,  but  a 
woman's  view  of  Manila  is  not  so  obtainable  as  battle  sketches. 
Subjoined  is  a  letter  to  her  relatives  from  Mrs.  Joseph  B.  Handy, 
wife  of  Captain  J.  B.  Handy,  who  was  on  duty  at  Manila.  Mrs.  Handy  fol- 
lowed her  husband  to  Manila  on  the  transport  Morgan  City,  and  her  letter 
home  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  domestic  life  in  the  Philippines.  Her  letter 
follows  : 

"  United  States  Army  Transport  Scandia. — It  is  just  a  week  this  morn- 
ing since  the  Morgan  City  anchored  here  in  Manila  Bay,  and  as  yet  we  arc 
still  floating  around,  and  General  Otis  has  not  decided  any  more  about  the 
ladies  going  ashore  than  he  had  the  day  we  came.  I  have,  however,  spent 
the  day  on  shore  on  three  separate  occasions,  and  have  seen  quite  a  little  of 

Manila. 

Warships  in  the  Harbor. 

"  Let  me  begin  with  a  view  of  the  bay,  which  is  always  interesting, 
because  continually  changing.  We  keep  swinging  around,  and  therefore  are 
always  having  some  new  view  of  the  ships.  The  Bennington  this  morning  is 
the  closest  to  us.  Next  comes  the  Olympia,  with  the  Admiral's  four  stars 
floating  in  the  breeze.  Behind  the  Olympia  is  the  English  man-o'-war  Nar- 
cissus, and  a  little  further  on  the  Japanese  man-o'-war.  In  the  outer  circle 
lie  the  transports  Scandia,  Newport,  Senator,  Ohio,  Arizona,  and  Morgan 
City,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  from  Australia,  which  is  used  by  the  Com- 
missary Department  as  a  refrigerating  ship,  and  the  Tacoma,  which  brought 
the  mules  and  horses. 

"A  little  German  cruiser  came  in  just  now;  the  big  English  Powerful, 
lying  some  distance  out,  came  this  morning,  and  yesterday  a  Frenchman. 
The  latter,  by  some  mistake,  fired  the  salute  of  the  Rear  Admiral,  whereupon 
'  Uncle  George  '  Dewey  sent  across  and  asked  if  he  had  not  seen  the  four 
stars  ;  so  then  the  mistake  was  corrected  and  the  gun  fired  off  again. 

"  I  must  say  that  the  newspaper  and  magazine  article  photographs 
which  I  saw  in  the  States  gave  me  quite  a  fair  idea  of  Manila.  Only  it  is 
many  times  more  picturesque  than  they  can  show.  One  sees  so  many  dif- 
18-D  273 


274         STRANGE  SCENES  IN  AND  ARODtfD   MANILA. 

ferent  kinds  of  people  in  the  streets,  some,  I  admit,  in  a  most  primitive* 
costume;  the  queer  carriages  and  the  funny  shops  (none  of  which  I  have 
visited  as  yet),  the  small  horses,  the  water  buffaloes,  with  their  enormouf 
horns,  the  many  bridges,  and  so  on,  all  form  a  picture  which  is  worth  seeing 
but  which  beggars  description — at  least  description  from  me. 

"  But  the  prettiest  part  of  the  town  to  my  notion  is  Malate  district,  where 
General  King's  headquarters  are,  and  which  are  appreciated  by  all  visitors. 
There  is  quite  an  extensive  walled  yard  in  front  of  the  house  and  a  sort  of  a 
portage  lodge,  used  as  a  guard-house,  at  the  gate.  You  drive  into  the  porte- 
cochere,  and  alight  near  some  banana  trees  in  front  of  a  flight  of  broad 
marble  steps.  The  door  stands  hospitably  open,  and  the  very  wide  staircase 
is  right  opposite.  This  lower  floor,  on  which  no  one  lives  at  present,  is  all 
beautifully  tiled,  and  upstairs  the  floors  are  of  wide  boards,  very  highly 
polished  and  of  light  and  dark  brown  laid  alternately. 

"  There  is  a  good  bit  of  furniture  left  by  its  former  Filipino  occupants, 
such  as  high-carved  cabinets,  chairs  of  all  sorts,  and  two  or  three  square  four- 
poster  beds,  with  cane  bottom,  like  chairs,  etc.  The  rooms  are  enormous 
and  the  ceilings  most  fantastically  decorated.  But  the  chief  beauty  ot  the 
house  is  the  wide  enclosed  porch  with  tiled  floor  which  runs  all  across  the 
back  and  overlooks  the  bay.  It  is  always  breezy  and  cool  there,  and  has  a 
most  delightful  view. 

Pleasant  Hours  of  Recreation. 

"  There  are  at  present  only  three  servants,  the  cochero  (postman),  the 
table  boy  and  the  cook,  who  was  formerly  the  valet.  Yesterday  and  to-day 
I  took  lunch  there  with  Joe,  the  General,  and  Lieutenant  Merriam,  and  the 
General  advised  to-day  that  I  bring  my  baggage  over  to-morrow.  He  may 
not  keep  the  house  very  long,  but  while  he  does  I  am  to  stay  also,  he  says. 

"  Monday  evening  the  officers  of  H.  M.  S.  Narcissus  sent  for  the  ladies 
of  the  Diplomatic  Corps  to  spend  the  evening  and  dance  on  deck  to  the 
music  of  their  band.  The  only  men  present  were  the  officers  of  the  ship, 
some  of  whom  were  extremely  young  midshipmen,  but  they  overbalanced 
the  women.  The  Englishmen  dance  abominably,  but  they  were  attentive  and 
'polite,  and  one  may  thus  have  a  good  time. 

"  I   had  always  imagined  that  the   English  danced  in  a  very  dignified 
manner,  but  their  lanciers  was  a  big  romp,  and  they  taught  us  a  new  kind  of 
two-step,  which  they  called  the  '  Washington  Post/  and  which  struck  me  as 
being  quite  gay.     They  said  they  had  learned  it  in  Hong  Kong,  and  under 
stood  it  was  '  a  decidedly  American  '  dance. 

"  The  deck  was  beautifully  white,  and  draped  around  with  fl?£9*  und  t* 


STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND  AROUND   MANILA.         27fi 

eat  they  had  small  cakes,  which  they  called  biscuits,  and  to  drink,  cold  coffee, 
apollinaris  lemonade  and  claret  cup,  and  so  on.  They  treated  us  very  well, 
altogether,  and  when  we  got  back  to  the  Scandia  about  1 1  o'clock,  we  all 
agreed  that  we  had  had  quite  a  little  experience 

"  I  should  perhaps  have  mentioned  before  this  that  I  was  transferred  from 
the  Morgan  City  to  the  Scandia  shortly  after  my  arrival.  The  husbands 
whose  wives  came  on  the  Morgan  City  say  we  shall  walk  back  before  we 
return  on  her. 

"  It  has  been  almost  a  week  since  I  wrote  last,  and  I  have  been  living 
at  General  King's  headquarters  since  Friday,  the  loth.  It  was  on  that  day 
that  General  Otis  issued  his  permission  that  the  ladies  might  come  ashore, 
and  every  one  availed  themselves  of  the  chance,  except  a  few,  who  went  to 
Japan.  So  I  am  running  the  mess  here,  and  am  monarch  of  all  I  survey 
most  of  the  time,  since  I  am  alone  a  good  deal.  Friday  and  Saturday  I 
was  busy  getting  settled  and  getting  the  room  to  rights,  and  really  now  our 
room  is  very  pretty. 

Description  of  the  Sleeping  Apartments. 

"  We  have  a  high  four-poster  bed,  with  a  white  canopy  and  mosquito  bar, 
a  wardrobe,  a  beautiful  centre  table  of  some  sort  of  highly  polished  wood, 
which  can  be  extended  with  leaves,  all  of  which  Joe  bought;  and  there  was 
already  in  the  room  an  article  of  furniture  which  I  cannot  name  exactly,  but 
which  we  call  a  dresser.  It  runs  along  one  side  of  the  room,  and  is,  I  should 
say,  fully  ten  or  eleven  feet  in  length.  The  top  is  smooth,  and  across  the 
front  are  five  good-sized  doors,  underneath  which  are  cupboards  with  doors. 
It  is  a  very  commodious,  as  well  as  handsome,  piece  of  furniture. 

"  Then  we  have  a  desk  and  a  big  washstand  (with  running  water  from  a 
spigot  in  the  wall)  and  lots  of  chairs,  including  one  famous  big  armchair  with 
cane  seat  and  back,  and  broad  wooden  arms  large  enough  to  hold  several 
games  of  solitaire  at  once.  The  windows  are  two,  but  these  are  sliding  case- 
ments, which  when  fully  opened  give  as  much  light  and  air  as  if  the  side  of 
the  room  were  taken  away.  One  is  in  front  of  the  house  and  looks  out  on 
tthe  drive  to  the  gate  and  the  guard-house,  and  the  other  is  at  the  side  and 
.shows  the  kitchen  wing  of  the  house,  and  across  to  the  stable,  where  we 
•have — let  me  see,  I  believe  there  are  only  five  horses  at  present,  though 
when  all  the  brigade  staff  were  here  I  understand  they  had  fourteen  horses,  to 
say  nothing  of  ten  servants.  Bear  in  mind  the  beautiful  polished  floor  of  my 
room,  add  the  photographs  and  flags,  and  so  on,  and  there  you  are. 

"  I  was  very  much  amused  the  first  time  I  saw  the  floors  polished.  Floren- 
tine, the  muchacho  (boy),  who  Is  house-boy,  table-waiter,  and  so  on,  after 


276         STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

sweeping  them  up  with  a  Filipino  broom  (something  like  a  big  feather 
duster),  doffs  his  slippers  and  fastens  to  his  feet  big  squares  of  rags,  which 
<*re  well  saturated  with  cocoanut  oil.  Then  he  proceeds  to  slide  back  and 
forth  on  the  boards.  The  costume  he  wears  for  this  sort  of  work  is  a  short- 
sleeved  shirt  and  loose  white  knickerbockers,  with,  ordinarily,  bare  feet. 

"  But  when  he  waits  on  the  table  he  wears  long  trousers  and  a  coat,  both 
white,  as  well  as  these  funny  slippers,  without  either  backs  or  heels.  The 
cochero  has  a  still  more  unique  costume,  consisting  of  linen  trousers  and  a 
loose,  baggy  white  shirt,  which  is  worn  outside  and  filled  with  wind  as  he 
drives  along,  giving  him  from  the  rear  the  appearance  of  an  inflated  bag.  His 
hat  is  a  broad-brimmed  straw,  which  he  pulis  well  down  over  his  forehead,  and 
the  same  sort  of  slippers  as  the  others.  When  we  get  out  of  the  carriage  to  go 
in  a  store^  or  when  I  sit  there  and  wait  while  Joe  attends  to  his  business  at  the 
commissary's  or  quartermaster's,  Oninisto,  as  a  rule,  divests  himself  of  his 
slippers,  and  puts  his  bare  feet  up  on  the  dash-board,  or  else  he  slips  down 
from  his  perch  and  chats  with  the  natives,  who  are  selling  peanuts  or  running 
a  barber  shop  or  what-not  on  the  sidewalks. 

"  But  he  has  gorgeous  manners,  greets  me  with  '  Good  night '  and  a  reg- 
ular military  salute  when  he  meets  me  in  other  than  his  official  capacity,  and 
always  holds  his  hat  in  his  hand  when  I  step  into  the  carriage. 

Modes  of  Conveyance. 

"  Our  conveyance  is  a  very  comfortable  one,  and  is  somewhat  like  a  vic- 
toria, except  that  besides  the  driver's  seat  there  is  only  one  seat,  instead  of 
two.  It  is  called  a  milord.  I  will  certainly  have  to  take  a  picture  of  it  and 
our  team  of  ponies  and  Oninisto.  The  third  one  of  the  servants  is  the  bright- 
est of  the  three,  and  is  a  very  good  cook.  His  name  is  Vicente  Paudaram,  and 
it  would  amuse  you  all  to  hear  our  conversations  together.  He  knows  a  few 
English  words,  and  has  a  regular  sign-language  of  his  own,  and  I  make  some 
flying  trips  to  my  dictionary  to  supply  a  needed  word  to  my  Spanish  vocabu- 
lary. I  get  along  in  quite  a  surprising  way,  and  it  does  not  scare  me  as  it  did 
at  first.  The  muchachos  seem  contented  and  trustworthy,  but  we  never  trust 
them,  for  all  that,  and  always  lock  things  up  when  we  go  out. 

'"'  Both  Friday  and  Saturday  I  went  driving  with  General  King,  late  in  the 
afternoon.  The  first  time  we  drove  to  the  Convent  of  St.  Paul,  and  a  dear  old 
Spanish  Sister  showed  us  the  embroidery  and  the  beautiful  pena  cloth,  which 
is  like  the  finest  of  mousseline  de  soie,  and  which,  Joe  says,  is  the  most  dis- 
tinctive souvenir  of  the  islands  you  can  get.  Saturday  evening  we  mingled 
with  '  the  fashion  and  beauty '  of  Manila  on  the  Lunetta,  after  visiting  the 
Cathedral  at  the  vesper  service. 


STRANGE   SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND   MANILA.         277 

"  On  the  Lunetta  one  would  not  imagine  these  were  war  times,  but  very 
far  from  it.  The  band  plays,  the  carriages  crowd  one  another,  and  people 
bow  to  their  friends,  and  every  one  seems  to  enjoy  himself  or  herself.  The 
officers  are  mostly  in  fresh,  white  uniforms,  and  the  women  in  their  afternoon 
gowns. 

"  There  are  Spanish,  English,  and  Americans,  and  they  drive  and  walk 
and  chat  until  it  gets  dusk  and  the  lights  come  out  in  the  fleet  on  the  bay. 

"  Sunday  morning  Joe  and  I  attended  an  8  o'clock  service,  held  by  Chap- 
lain Pierce,  in  the  Malate  school-house,  over  which  floats  the  flag  sent  by  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  That  evening  was  one  of  preparation  at  No.  14 
Calle  Real,  as  General  King  had  received  orders  to  take  command  of  his 
brigade.  The  next  morning  they  started  out  at  4  o'clock,  the  General,  Lieu- 
tenant Merriam,  and  Joe.  The  new  brigade,  under  General  Wheaton,  was  to 
make  the  advance  at  daybreak,  and  Joe  wanted  to  see  them  start,  as  well  as 
having  a  lot  of  business  on  hand  for  that  day.  He  was  gone  till  7  o'clock 
that  night,  so  I  had  a  long  day.  The  next  day  (Tuesday)  he  went  at  6  and 
returned  at  4  P.  M.,  and  then  we  went  driving. 

Startling  Boom,  of  Cannon. 

"  As  to  the  advance  the  other  morning,  they  sent  4,300  men  out  to  do 
what  1,200  or  less  could  have  done  easily,  for  the  country  over  which  they 
swept  contained  very  few  insurgents  instead  of  a  great  many.  We  lost  one 
man  killed  and  eight  or  ten  wounded.  The  only  sign  that  I  have  seen  of 
there  being  active  hostilities  anywhere  around  is  the  very  occasional  and  very 
distant  booming  of  a  cannon  or  sometimes  a  far-away  crack  of  a  musket. 
There  are  no  insurgents  now  nearer  San  Pedro  Macati  than  eight  or  ten  miles, 
and  Joe  has  promised  to  take  me  there  soon,  so  I  can  see  where  he  spends 
most  of  his  time. 

"  This  morning  (Wednesday)  we  spent  down  town  ;  that  is,  in  the  walled 
city  and  district  around  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig,  where  are  the  quartermas- 
ter and  commissary  depots,  etc.  We  did  some  shopping,  too ;  bought  a  lamp 
and  some  new  soup  plates,  and  Joe  made  me  a  present  of  the  dearest  little 
afternoon  tea  set  from  the  Indian  store.  It  has  six  cups  and  saucers,  and  the 
teapot,  sugar  bowl,  and  pitcher.  We  christened  them  this  evening,  for  we 
have  a  '  party/  Mrs.  Kirkpatrick,  Mrs.  Krug,  and  little  Catharine  Krug,  at  7 
to  dinner. 

"  We  dispensed  with  the  table  cloth,  and  Florentine  polished  up  the 
table,  whereon  I  set  my  doilies,  and  we  had  a  good  dinner  on  top  of  that. 
Vicente  did  himself  proud.  We  had  ox-tail  soup,  then  macaroni  'a  el  Espanol, 
then  canned  salmon  (we  expected  fresh  fish,  but  when  Vicente  came  from  a 


278         STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

shopping  expedition  in  the  afternoon,  he  told  me  the  fish  were  '  mucha  pick- 
aninny too  mucha '  to  buy),  then  fried  chickens  with  potatoes,  and  then  plum 
pudding  with  wine  sauce,  and  then  coffee  (in  our  new  cups  and  saucers), 
cheese  and  crackers. 

"  This,  I  think,  will  be  the  last  installment  of  my  journey,  as  I  believe, 
having  given  my  first  impressions  of  the  place,  it  will  be  easier  hereafter  to 
write  personal  letters,  where  there  will  not  be  so  much  danger  of  repeating* 
myself. 

"  General  King,  General  Anderson,  and  General  H.  G,  Otis  are  to  be 
ordered  home  to  the  States,  it  is  said,  and  when  that  time  comes  this  lovely 
house  will  be  seized  by  some  other  '  big  bug/  and  we  will  have  to  move.  I 
hope,  however,  that  that  will  not  happen  very  soon.  The  weather  is  warm, 
but  not  oppressively  so.  The  last  few  days  it  has  been  rainy,  though  the 
rainy  season  is  not  expected  to  begin  until  June.  However,  they  say  every- 
thing has  turned  around  since  the  Americans  came. 

Sleeping  Beside  a  Loaded  Revolver. 

"  I  wish  you  could  see  the  way  the  sparrows  fly  in  and  out  of  the  rooms 
and  hall  of  this  house.  They  must  have  a  nest  somewhere  in  the  walls, 
behind  the  painted  canvas  (or  whatever  stuff  it  is),  that  covers  them,  and  all 
day  long  they  are  flying  and  chirping  through  the  house.  Everything  is  so 
open  anyhow  that  it  seems  almost  like  outdoors.  The  wide  front  door,  for 
instance,  is  never  shut  at  night.  And  neither  is  anything  else,  except  if  one 
chooses  to  shut  one's  door  (and  one  usually  does).  We  sleep  with  a  loaded 
revolver  on  the  chair  by  the  bed,  and  Joe  assures  me  that  if  I  were  to  get  up 
and  wander  around  in  the  dark  without  telling  him  beforehand,  he  would 
probably  shoot  at  me  for  an  intruding  insurrecto.  I  have  a  pistol  of  my  own, 
too,  and  a  holster  which  slings  over  my  shoulder,  and  I  know  how  to  load, 
which  end  to  hold  it  by,  and  how  to  point  it,  but  I  can  assure  any  anxious 
friend  that  I  treat  it  very  gingerly,  and  hope  I  will  not  have  occasion  to  ever 
frighten  any  bold,  bad  Filipinos  with  it." 

To  the  foregoing  bright  and  interesting  account  of  Manila,  which  sparkles 
with  woman's  keen  descriptive  powers,  may  be  added  an  account  taken  from 
The  American  Soldier \  a  paper  published  by  our  soldier  boys,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made  in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  account  is  as 
follows : 

"  The  city  of  Manila  is  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  bay  of  the 
same  name,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Island  of  Luzon.  It  is  divided  into 
the  old  or  walled  city,  and  the  new  city.  The  old  city,  Manila  proper,  is  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Pasig  River,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  some  two  miles 


STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA.         27  fr 

and  a  half  in  circumference.  This  wall  is  one  of  the  sights  of  Manila ;  it  is 
?bout  twenty-five  feet  wide,  being  thickest  in  the  most  exposed  points.  It  is 
surrounded  by  a  double  moat,  which  is  now  choked  up  with  the  mud  and  filth 
of  centuries. 

"  The  work  required  to  erect  this  fortification  was  immense.  It  is  said 
that  it  was  built  in  great  part  by  the  Chinese  coolies.  It  dates  from  the  latter 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  while  it  is  of  no  service  for  defense  against 
modern  artillery,  it  has  on  more  than  one  occasion  been  a  haven  of  refuge  for 
the  European  inhabitants  in  times  past,  and  might  be  again  used  against  an 
uprising  of  the  natives.  The  advisability  of  destroying  the  walls  has  often 
been  discussed  in  recent  years  by  Spanish  authorities,  but  this  latter  consid- 
eration, coupled  with  the  fear  that  an  attempt  to  remove  the  filth,  that  for 
centuries  has  been  accumulating  in  the  moat,  would  let  loose  such  a  stench, 
that  a  plague  would  result,  has  so  far  prevented  any  action  in  the  matter. 

"  The  River  Pasig  flows  through  the  centre  of  Manila,  while  its  estuaries 
reaching  out  in  every  direction  make  it  a  veritable  city  of  canals.  These  canals, 
or  estuaries,  are  of  great  importance  as  highways,  and  are  largely  used  as 
such.  The  district  of  Binondo,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  River  Pasig,  is  the 
centre  of  commercial  activity  of  Manila. 

Big  Canoes  and  Busy  Wharves. 

"  Along  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  is  here  confined  by  stone  embank- 
ments, are  to  be  found  the  large  wholesale  houses  and  the  Custom  House. 
The  river  is  deep  enough  to  admit  vessels  drawing  up  to  thirteen  feet  of  water, 
and  the  wharves  are  generally  lined  with  boats  of  all  kinds,  steamers,  schoon- 
ers, and  scores  of  the  big  native  canoes  or  "  cascos,"  which  are  used  as  light- 
ers. They  are  a  purely  native  craft,  covered  with  bamboo  wicker  roofs,  and 
propelled  by  means  of  long  bamboo  poles. 

"  There  is  a  narrow  platform  along  the  side  of  the  casco  at  the  water 
level,  and  the  native  boatman  walks  along  this  with  his  shoulder  against  his 
pole,  and  slowly  propels  his  unwieldy  craft,  which  is  to  him  both  home  and 
livelihood,  for  the  whole  family  lives  in  the  little  house  or  shed  in  the  stern  of 
the  casco.  A  great  deal  of  the  river  traffic  is  carried  on  by  means  of  these 
cascos. 

"  There  are  also  many  of  the  native  boats  made  from  hollowed  logs,  in 
which  they  carry  immense  loads  of  bananas  and  other  country  produce. 
These  boats  are  so  narrow  that  to  sit  in  one  of  them  without  capsizing  is  a 
balancing  feat  of  no  mean  order,  and  a  trip  in  one  of  them  across  the  river, 
dodging  the  passing  steamers,  is  sufficiently  perilous  to  make  it  exciting. 

"  The  city  and  general  prison  is  well  worth  a  visit.     A  large  colony  gf 


280          STRANGE   SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND    MANILA. 

evil-doers  is  confined  in  the  prison,  the  greater  part  of  whom  wear  chains 
fastened  to  their  ankles  with  something  like  a  clevis,  the  pin  firmly  riveted. 
In  the  day  time  the  end  of  the  long  chain  attached  was  fastened  around  the 
prisoners'  waist.  As  soon  as  the  American  authorities  took  charge  of  this 
institution  these  chains  were  taken  off,  and  are  now  shown  to  visitors  as  relics. 
There  used  to  be  confined  in  this  place  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  prison- 
ers on  an  average.  They  make  all  kinds  of  little  things  to  sell,  such  as  horn 
spoons,  knives,  etc.,  from  buffalo  horns.  Shell  carving,  basket  weaving,  and 
all  such  work  is  beautifully  done. 

"  One  of  the  most  interesting  sights  to  be  seen  there  is  the  garrote  or 
strangling  machine  with  which  capital  punishment  is  inflicted  under  Spanish 
law.  The  original  form  of  this  was  simply  a  short  piece  of  rope  with  the  ends 
spliced,  which  was  placed  around  the  victim's  neck,  and  then  passed  through 
a  hole  in  a  post.  A  stick  was  then  inserted  in  the  loop,  and  twisted  around 
until  the  subject  was  strangled.  The  modern  machine  is  a  great  improve- 
ment on  this  crude  method. 

"  It  is  a  rectangular  iron  frame,  sliding  on  a  groved  collar,  which  is  firmly 
bolted  to  a  post.  The  front  of  the  frame  is  hinged  and  can  be  opened  to 
admit  the  neck  of  the  condemned.  The  back  of  the  frame  is  drilled  and 
tapped  to  admit  a  large  screw,  very  much  like  a  letter-press  screw.  The  end 
of  this  screw  or  bolt  rests  against  the  collar  with  which  the  garrote  is  fastened 
to  the  post,  and  by  turning  the  screw  the  frame  is  drawn  back,  until  it  comes 
in  contact  with  the  collar. 

.  How  the  Death  Sentence  is  Inflicted. 

"  The  execution  always  takes  place  in  the  open  air  in  some  public  square. 
The  condemned,  dressed  in  a  long,  black  robe,  is  led  to  the  post  and  made  to 
sit  on  a  narrow  seat,  so  placed  that  his  neck  is  on  a  level  with  the  garrote. 
The  victim  of  Justice  is  bound  rigidly  to  the  post,  the  frame  is  pushed  out 
and  closed  around  his  neck,  and  the  black  cap  adjusted  :  the  officer  gives  the 
signal,  the  executioner  rapidly  turns  the  screw,  there  is  a  shudder,  a  short 
convulsive  struggle,  and  all  is  over.  The  body  is  left  exposed  for  hours. 

"  Except  when  in  actual  use  the  garrote  is  kept  in  the  prison,  in  charge 
of  the  executioner.  This  functionary,  who  is  a  native  Philippine  Islander,  is 
at  present  serving  a  twenty  years'  term  for  murder.  He  gives  visitors  a  very 
graphic  description  of  the  method  of  using  the  machine.  The  result  seems 
to  be  like  cutting  a  man's  head  off  with  a  dull  pair  of  scissors,  but  doing  it 
quickly. 

"Manila  can  boast  of  a  good  system  of  electric  lighting,  and  the  water- 
works are  very  creditable.  The  entire  system  was  presented  to  the  city  by  9 


STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND    MANILA.         281 

wealthy  citizen,  named  Cariedo,  who  was  a  benefactor  indeed.  The  water  is 
pumped  into  the  mains  by  powerful  engines.  During  the  siege  the  water 
supply  was  cut  off  by  the  insurgents,  but  as  the  rainfall  was  plentiful  all 
the  time,  no  great  discomfort  resulted.  The  water  was  not  turned  on  until 
several  days  after  our  troops  took  the  city." 

A  very  clear  picture  of  conditions  in  Luzon,  the  largest  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  is  presented  in  a  report  of  the  tour  of  Paymaster  W.  B.  Wilcox  and 
Cadet  R.  L.  Sargent,  of  Dewey's  fleet.  This  recital  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  island  outside  of  Manila,  the  military  conditions  and  the  habits  of  the 
people,  earned  for  the  young  officers  the  praise  of  Admiral  Dewey  and  of 
officials  at  Washington. 

Paymaster  Wilcox  and  Cadet  Sargent  left  Manila  for  the  interior  Octo- 
ber 5,  1898,  with  five  servants.  Aguinaldo  had  refused  to  issue  a  passport, 
but  assured  the  officers  that  they  were  free  to  proceed  without  molestation 
from  his  forces.  At  Bayambang  they  met  a  squad  of  Filipino  soldiers,  but 
through  the  influence  of  an  English  resident  they  were  enabled  to  proceed. 
From  Resales  to  San  Jose  it  rained  almost  constantly,  and  the  roads  were 
nearly  impassable.  The  pack  horses  gave  out  and  natives  were  hired  at  the 
rate  of  less  than  ten  cents  in  gold  per  man. 

Scenes  in  the  Interior. 

In  the  villages  of  Humingan  and  Lupao  were  found  a  few  Spanish  pris- 
oners, priests,  soldiers,  and  civil  officials.  They  showed  no  signs  of  ill-treat- 
ment or  undue  restriction.  The  report  continues : 

"  The  local  officials  are  native  Filipinos.  Most  of  them  have  received 
some  education  at  religious  schools  in  Manila.  They  are  intelligent  and 
are  eager  to  learn  of  the  outside  world.  Their  ignorance  of  current  events  is 
surprising.  One  or  two  of  them  had  heard  of  the  Congress  at  Paris,  but  no 
one  had  any  idea  as  to  its  object. 

"  They  were  well-grounded  on  only  three  points :  the  destruction  of  the 
Spanish  squadron  in  Manila  harbor,  the  surrender  of  Manila,  and  the  declara- 
tion by  the  Philippine  government  at  Malolos  of  the  independence  of  the 
islands  and  the  establishment  of  a  republican  form  of  government,  with 
Aguinaldo  as  president." 

The  American  officers  were  received  coolly  by  the  Philippine  officers  at 
Carranglan,  owing  to  their  lack  of  passports,  but  were  permitted  to  proceed 
in  the  face  of  predictions  that  they  had  worse  rivers  to  cross.  They  were 
given  a  guard  to  protect  them  from  savages. 

The  party  spent  the  night  at  Bagagag,  where  they  met  the  first  opposi- 
tion ';o  their  progress.  On  the  way  to  Cordon  they  were  £3Qorted  by  a  mih- 


282         STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

tfary  force  along  the  mountain  trail,  which  is  infested  at  certain  seasons  by 
savages.  During  the  trip  the  escorts  used  their  rifles  freely,  firing  into  every 
thick  bush  that  might  conceal  a  savage. 

At  Carig,  the  Americans  were  detained  seven  days,  and  were  told  that 
they  better  go  back.  The  chief  Filipino  official  there  was  very  suspicious, 
particularly  of  the  diary  kept  by  the  Americans  and  a  camera  that  formed 
part  of  their  equipment.  He  became  slowly  convinced,  however,  that  they 
were  not  seeking  for  military  information  or  maps  of  the  country.  The  sus- 
picions had  started  from  statements  of  Spanish  prisoners  that  American  troops 
would  come  into  the  province  to  conquer  them. 

The  officers  went  from  Echague  to  Ilagan  in  a  dugout  twenty-five  feet 
long,  rowed  by  six  natives.  They  were  nearly  swamped  twice.  Ilagan,  which 
is  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Isabella,  has  10,000  to  15,000  inhabitants. 
It  has  many  large  wooden  houses,  roofed  with  corrugated  iron.  The  report 
says  : 

"  In  this  town  we  were  entertained  at  the  house  of  a  wealthy  citizen.  The 
first  night  after  our  arrival  a  ball  was  given  in  our  honor,  at  which  there  were 
over  fifty  young  ladies  and  an  equal  number  of  well-dressed  and  gentlemanly 
young  men.  The  ball  was  well  conducted.  The  dances  were  Spanish.  The 
next  evening  we  were  invited  to  the  theatre  to  see  two  one-act  Spanish  come- 
dies presented  by  the  society  young  people.  They  were  both  excellently 
given,  and  spoke  well  for  the  intelligence  of  the  players." 

Took  the  Oath  of  Office. 

The  plan  to  continue  the  journey  to  Tuguegaro  and  across  the  mountains 
to  the  western  coast  was  negatived  by  Colonel  Tirona,  who  said  it  was  impos- 
sible, so  the  officers  went  to  Aparri.  There  they  found  many  Spanish  pris- 
oners. 

A  steamer  had  brought  news  from  Hong  Kong  that  the  American  Com- 
missioners at  the  Paris  Congress  favored  the  independence  of  the  Islands,  with 
an  American  protectorate.  Colonel  Tirona  considered  the  information  of 
sufficient  reliability  to  justify  him  in  regarding  Philippine  independence  as 
assured.  He  gave  up  his  military  command  and  placed  this  power  in  the 
hands  of  a  civil  officer,  who  thanked  the  military  forces  and  their  colonel. 
After  an  impassioned  speech  he  knelt  and  took  the  oath  of  office. 

Two  balls  were  given  at  Aparri  in  honor  of  the  Americans.  From 
Aparri  the  explorers  went  to  Cabujoa  by  boat  Officials  objected  to  their 
landing,  but  finally  allowed  them  to  go  to  Magsingai.  There,  in  accordance 
with  the  order  of  the  Filipino  Secretary  of  War,  they  were  forced  to  give  up 
*Tt  their  arms,  including  revolvers, 


STRANGE   SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA.         283 

In  Vigan  the  travelers  heard  the  only  definite  complaint  of  natives 
against  the  present  government.  These  people  complained  of  the  taxes,  and 
even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  they  preferred  the  Spanish  government. 

The  Province  of  Hocus  Sur  raises  principally  rice,  tobacco,  sugar  and 
live  stock.  The  cultivation  of  cocoanuts  is  profitable  and  is  increasing.  Many 
people  are  engaged  in  weaving  cotton  cloth,  towels,  etc.  In  the  mountains, 
there  are  mines  of  copper,  sulphur  and  gold.  Colonel  Tine,  commander  o'f 
the  military  district,  was  met  at  San  Fernando.  He  is  twenty-one  years  old 
and  had  just  been  made  a  brigadier  general.  He  expressed  several  times  his 
suspicion  with  regard  to  the  object  of  the  Americans'  journey.  He  would  not 
let  them  take  the  route  desired,  and  they  left  the  town  next  morning  for 
Dagupan,  whence  they  proceeded  to  Manila. 

Traveling  in  the  Philippines. 

A  railroad  connects  Manila  and  Dagupan,  and  a  description  of  what  may 
be  seen  along  this  road  is  here  appended.  It  is  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  G.  S. 
Brooks,  who  went  over  the  route,  making  observations  on  the  way,  and  furn- 
ishing valuable  information  which  we  take  pleasure  in  reproducing  here  in  the 
words  of  the  writer  : 

"  By  taking  an  eight-hours'  ride  over  this  road  one  can  see  about  all  that 
was  ever  done  to  facilitate  land  transportation  in  the  Philippines.  Few  im- 
provements appear  to  be  made  in  the  provinces  by  the  initiative  of  the  local 
governors ;  nor  do  they  seem  to  take  any  special  interest  in  commercial  or 
agricultural  advancement.  This  lack  of  interest  is  quite  comprehensible  and 
excusable,  however,  seeing  that  after  they  are  appointed,  and,  even  though 
they  govern  well,  within  the  strict  limitations  of  their  office,  they  are  con- 
stantly expecting  that  a  ministerial  change,  or  the  undermining  influence  of 
favoritism,  may  succeed  in  accomplishing  their  withdrawal.  Some  governors 
have,  in  spite  of  all  discouragement,  studied  the  wants  of  their  provinces;  but 
to  no  purpose.  Their  estimates  for  road-making,  repairing,  and  bridge-build- 
ing are  shelved  in  Manila ;  while  the  local  funds,  which  ought  to  be  expended 
in  the  localities  where  they  are  collected,  are  appropriated  by  the  centres  in 
the  capital. 

"  As  to  the  extent  to  which  the  colony  has  suffered  from  lack  of  local 
transportation  Foreman,  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  the  Philippines,  says  : 
1  There  is  not  a  cellar  at  the  disposal  of  the  provisional  governor  for  local  im- 
provements. If  a  bridge  breaks  down,  so  it  remains  for  years,  while  thou  - 
sands  of  travelers  have  to  wade  through  the  river  unless  a  raft  is  provided  at 
the  expense  of  the  poor  people,  by  order  of  the  petty  governor  of  th«? 
nearest  village. 


284         STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND    MANILA. 

"'As  to  the  roads  connecting  the  villages,  quite  20  percent,  of  them 
serve  only  for  travel  on  foot,  on  buffalo  or  on  horseback  at  any  time  ;  and,  in 
the  wet  season,  certainly  60  per  cent,  of  all  the  Philippine  highways  are  in  too 
bad  a  state  for  any  kind  of  passenger  conveyance  to  pass  with  safety.  Private 
property  owners  have  expended  much  time  and  money  in  the  building  and 
preservation  of  public  roads ;  although  a  curious  law  exists  prohibiting 
repairs  to  highways  by  non-official  persons.' 

"Under  such  conditions  it  is  not  easy  to  understand  just  how  the  Spanish 
government  was  led  to  make  so  liberal  a  concession  as  that  under  which  the 
Manila  Dagupan  Railway  was  constructed.  It  is  likely  that  the  hope  of 
direct  increase  of  revenue  from  taxation  on  the  road,  and  the  consideration  of 
advantage  in  transporting  troops  to  subdue  distant  tribes  far  out — outweighed 
any  notion  that  was  entertained  in  reference  to  developing  the  resources  of 
the  island,  or  improving  the  condition  of  the  laboring  classes. 

"In  1875  the  government  first  took  action  upon  the  question  of  Philip- 
pine railways.  An  elaborate  scheme  was  formulated,  providing  for  the  con- 
struction of  railways  under  two  distinct  forms  of  concession  :  (ist.)  Roads  of 
general  public  utility  to  be  constructed  either  by  the  state  or  by  subsidized 
companies ;  in  which  case  concession  had  to  be  obtained  from  the  home  gov- 
ernment. (2d.)  Roads  of  private  interest;  concessions  for  which  co'ald  be 
granted  by  the  governor-general  of  the  colony. 

The  Railroad  Completed. 

"In  1885  the  government  offered  a  subsidy  of  $7,650  per  mile,  on  a 
specified  line  of  130  miles ;  but  none  of  the  capitalists  in  Spain  or  in  Manila 
showed  any  inclination  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity.  A  subsequent 
offer  including  a  guarantee  of  eight  per  cent,  annual  interest  on  a  maximum 
capital  of  $49,643  was  taken  up,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  by  a  London  firm  of  Con- 
tractors. The  line,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  concession,  was  com- 
pleted within  four  years  from  July  22,  1887.  At  the  end  of  ninety-nine  years 
the  road  and  rolling-stock  are  to  revert  to  the  government,  without  compen- 
sation. 

"  The  road,  as  projected  and  now  operated,  extends  from  the  city  of 
Manila  to  Dagupan,  an  insignificant  port  near  the  centre  of  the  west  coast  of 
the  island,  thus  giving  outlet  to  the  largest  continuous  area  of  valley  land  is 
the  Philippines. 

"  The  road-bed  is  very  level  throughout,  and  is  free  from  short  curves. 
There  are  very  few  cuts.  At  Bomban,  where  the  road  approaches  near  to  the 
mountain,  is  one  sandstone  cut  about  300  yards  long  by  20  feet  deep,  whicb 
probably  represents  nearly  as  much  labor  as  all  the  rest  of  the  cuts  on  the 


STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA.         285 

fine.  The  only  serious  difficulties  ih  the  construction  and  preservation  of  the 
road  are  due  to  the  great  number  of  streams  crossed  and  the  low  character  of 
the  land  for  miles  on  each  side  of  the  line,  along  the  greater  part  of  its  extent. 
During  the  first  few  years  of  operation,  there  was  great  damage  from  floods, 
but  that  difficulty  seems  to  be  pretty  well  remedied  at  present. 

"  The  road-bed  has  an  average  elevation  of  about  four  or  five  feet  above 
the  general  level.  It  is  all  ballasted  with  fine  gravel  and  presents  an  excel- 
lent appearance,  being  very  level  and  solid,  even  during  periods  of  heavy 
rain.  The  ties  are  of  hard  wood,  mostly  cut  on  the  islands,  but  on  account 
of  lack  of  labor,  some  of  them  were  shipped  from  Japan.  The  track  is  of 
three  feet  six  inches  gauge,  laid  with  steel  rails  weighing  45  pounds  per  yard. 

"  On  the  whole  line  there  are  at  least  sixty  iron  bridges  with  supports 
formed  by  immense  upright  steel  tubes  filled  with  concrete.  All  the  bridges 
of  more  than  one  span,  except  one,  are  uniformly  of  20  metres  span,  the 
largest  number  of  spans  in  any  one  of  them  being  about  six.  The  bridge 
at  Calumpit,  over  the  Rio  Grande  de  la  Pampanga,  has  the  greatest  total 
length  and  the  spans  are  longer  than  any  of  the  others. 

An  Apology  for  a  Railway. 

"  The  rolling-stock  is  very  light  as  compared  with  the  substantial  char- 
acter of  the  road-bed.  The  locomotives  appear  to  be  little  superior  in  speed 
or  capacity  to  the  better  class  of  Mummy '  or  'jerkwater'  locomotives  used  in 
the  United  States.  They  are  of  less  than  ten  tons  burden,  and  the  passenger 
carriages  are  correspondingly  small.  The  carriages  are  of  three  classes,  all 
being  divided  alike  into  three  apartments,  with  an  outside  gangway,  each 
apartment  seating  eight  persons.  The  few  first-class  passengers  are  comfort- 
ably seated  in  cane  chairs.  The  second  and  third-class  carriages  have  wooden, 
bench-like  seats,  the  former  being  much  more  comfortable,  especially  as  they 
are  very  seldom  crowded,  and  those  of  the  third-class  are  usually  filled  with 
natives,  carrying  baskets  and  bundles  of  all  descriptions. 

"  Owing  to  the  exacting  requirements  of  the  Spanish  authorities  (that 
used  to  be)  the  buildings  on  the  line  are  of  first-rate  quality,  and  of  a 
capacity  far  beyond  present  requirements.  The  Manila  depot  is  a  well- 
arranged,  two-story  wooden  structure,  70  feet  long  and  45  feet  wide,  with 
train  sheds  in  the  rear,  325  feet  long  and  covering  four  tracks.  On  the 
second  floor  of  the  building  are  all  the  general  business  offices  of  the  road, 
including  that  of  the  general  manager.  All  the  other  twenty-eight  station- 
houses  on  the  line  are  of  a  uniform  type,  differing  somewhat  in  respect  to 
size  only.  The  smallest  of  them  are  probably  between  thirty  and  forty  feet 
long,  with  a  good-sized  waiting-room  and  usually  two  or  three  office-rooms 


286         STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND  AROUND   MANILA. 

on  the  first  floor.  At  most  of  the  stations  there  are  good  freight  sheds, 
which,  like  all  the  other  buildings,  have  good  tin  roofs.  The  machine  shops 
are  at  Caloocan,  four  miles  from  Manila,  where  Mr.  Higgins,  the  genera] 
manager,  has  his  residence. 

"  Excepting  the  general  manager  and  a  few  other  English  overseers,  and 
three  Spanish  station-masters,  the  whole  force  employed  are  native  Filipinos, 
working  on  salaries  ranging  from  six  or  eight  to  about  twenty  dollars  per 
month  by  the  gold  standard.  The  last  named  amount  is  probably  above  the 
average  salary  of  the  clerks,  telegraph  operators,  station-masters,  conductors, 
engineers  and  mechanics.  All  these  natives  had  to  be  trained  in  their  respec- 
tive employments — in  some  cases  from  the  first  rudiments.  In  building  the 
road-bed  the  laborers  used  hoes  instead  of  shovels  ;  but  '  section  hands  '  now 
use  the  shovel  with  good  effect. 

"  The  clerks  give  good  satisfaction,  and  are  said  to  show  no  special 
inferiority  in  comparison  with  Europeans  in  similar  positions.  There  have 
been  no  serious  accidents  since  the  operation  of  the  road  began.  From  the 
general  efficiency  of  these  employees  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  average 
Filipino  is  by  no  means  slow  in  taking  up  the  pursuits  of  the  nations  more 
advanced  in  civil  and  economic  life. 

Freight  and  Passenger  Transportation. 

"  The  rates  on  all  classes  of  traffic  are  considerably  lower  than  ordinary 
rates  for  corresponding  distances  in  the  United  States.  The  great  bulk  of  the 
freight  is  rice  and  sugar.  There  is  also  some  building  material  and  fire-wood 
besides  various  odds  and  ends  in  small  quantities.  At  present  there  are  three 
freight  and  three  passenger  trains  each  way  per  day,  only  one  of  the  trains 
carrying  mail.  The  passenger  trains  cover  the  120  miles  in  about  eight 
hours.  An  ordinary  passenger  train  is  composed  of  about  eight  or  ten  car- 
riages, more  than  half  of  which  are  of  the  third  class  ;  usually  filled  with 
natives,  some  on  short  journeys  from  town  to  town,  but  the  vast  majority  on 
the  way  to  or  from  Manila — their  ideal  of  worldly  splendor.  The  passenger 
rates  range  from  two  to  five  cents  in  gold  per  mile. 

"  There  are  no  statistics  available  in  reference  to  the  original  cost  or  the 
financial  standing  of  the  road.  The  cost  of  construction  per  mile  for  such 
a  line  must  be  greater  than  for  ordinary  light  roads  as  are  usually  built  in 
America.  But  owing  to  the  low  price  of  reasonably  efficient  labor,  the 
original  cost  and  the  running  expenses  are  probably  much  below  the  cor- 
responding figures  on  a  line  of  similar  construction  in  the  United  States. 
From  present  appearances  it  does  not  seem  likely  that  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment has  ever  been  called  upon  to  make  good  the  guaranteed  profit  of  8 


STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND  AROUND   MANILA.         28f 

per  cent.  During  the  short  time  since  operations  were  resumed  after  th< 
end  of  the  blockade  of  Manila,  the  passenger  traffic  among  the  natives  ha.s 
passed  the  highest  mark  it  had  ever  reached  before. 

"  The  road  runs  diagonally  across  a  continuous  level,  or  slightly  rolling 
area,  with  a  general  elevation  slightly  above  sea  level,  and  of  a  nearly  regular 
quadrangular  shape  about  ninety  miles  long  and  fifty  miles  wide,  separated 
from  the  sea  on  both  sides  by  continuous  mountain  strips  from  eight  to  fif- 
teen miles  wide,  and  rising  in  some  parts  probably  to  a  height  of  four  or  five 
thousand  feet  The  northwest  corner  of  the  valley  opens  upon  the  large  shal- 
low Gulf  of  Lingayen,  where  Dagupan,  the  termination  of  the  railway,  is.  All 
the  land  part  of  the  northern  boundary  is  also  cut  off  by  mountain  chains 
from  the  great  valley  lands  of  the  northern  part  of  the  islands.  The  south 
end  of  the  valley  is  bounded  by  Manila  Bay,  the  Pasig  River,  and  Laguna  de 
Bay,  the  largest  and  by  far  the  most  important  lake  in  the  Philippines. 

"  This  valley  region,  with  about  half  the  mountain  strip  on  each  side, 
includes  all  the  present  territory  of  the  six  provinces,  namely :  Manila,  Bul- 
acan,  Pampanga,  Tarlac,  Nueva  Ecija,  and  Pangasinian,  in  which  the  Spanish 
first  began  the  subjection  of  the  colony.  In  those  days  a  large  part  of  this 
territory  was  covered  by  dense  forest,  which  furnished  the  invaders  an  easy 
and  rich  source  of  timber  supplies.  In  the  accounts  of  native  insurrections, 
it  is  stated  that  about  1620  the  Pampangos  were  in  open  mutiny  against 
the  Spaniards,  complaining  that  all  their  young  men  were  forced  into  mili- 
tary service,  and  that  the  remaining  able-bodied  men  were  kept  busy  cutting 
timber  for  government  requirements. 

Ancient  Feuds  and  Grudges. 

"  Again  in  1660  there  was  a  serious  uprising  in  the  same  province,  the 
natives  refusing  to  cut  timber  for  Cavite  Arsenal  without  payment.  That  old 
spirit  of  rebellion  has  never  died  out  to  this  day.  The  whole  of  these  Pro- 
vinces, excepting  Manila,  were  in  the  hands  of  the  insurgents  when  the  Amer- 
ican army  came.  But  the  primeval  forests,  so  far  as  the  main  part  of  the 
valley  is  concerned,  have  long  since  disappeared.  Only  in  one  place  along 
the  railway,  about  sixty  miles  from  Manila,  are  any  large  forest  trees  to  be 
seen  now. 

"  Imagine  a  wide,  level  landscape,  with  the  view  intercepted  at  many 
points,  and  often  entirely  shut  off  by  clumps  and  groves  of  bamboo,  some- 
times fifty  feet  high ;  in  and  around  the  groves  dense  thickets  of  tangled 
shrubbery,  including  banana  trees  with  their  gigantic  leaves  and  other  palms, 
the  open  spaces  mostly  occupied  by  immense  green  fields  of  tall  heavy  rice, 
or  small  fields  of  short  su^ar  cane  ;  villages  and  groups  of  palm-thatched 


288         STRANGE  SCENES   IN  AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

j)amboo  huts  on  stilts,  in  and  around  the  thickets,  sometimes  extending  in 
irregular  rows  far  out  into  the  fields ;  and  many  marshy,  overflowing  rivers, 
with  great  sheets  of  water  extending  out  into  the  fields.  This  type,  with 
a  few  variations,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  view  from  Manila  to  Dagupan  at 
the  present  season,  especially  during  a  period  of  heavy  rain. 

"  For  the  first  fiCLeen  miles  out  of  Manila,  the  land  rises  in  irregular,  long- 
sloping  hills,  never  rising  more  than  about  thirty  feet  above  the  general  level; 
many  of  these  gently  sloping  hillsides  present  a  terraced  appearance,  from 
being  occupied  by  great  beds  of  rice,  banked  around  to  hold  the  water  as  it 
runs  down. 

"  No  other  field  crops  are  to  be  seen  yet.  The  villages  are  apparently 
small,  and  around  the  next  six  stations  after  the  first  one  from  Manila, 
Caloocan,  there  is  very  little  sign  of  life. 

"  After  leaving  the  hills  behind,  and  passing  through  about  six  miles  of 
rich  watery  land,  with  much  larger  fields  of  rice,  we  arrive  at  Malolos,  the 
eighth  station,  at  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  from  Manila.  Little  can  be  seen 
of  the  town  from  the  station.  Only  a  dark  old  convent  church,  and  a  small 
part  of  a  few  streets ;  the  main  one  apparently  having  fences  with  stone  pil- 
lars. All  the  dwellings  in  sight  are  of  bamboo. 

A  Motley  Crowd  of  Loafers. 

"A  dozen  of  the  typical  single  pony  carromatas  are  lined  up  at  the 
depot,  and  there  is  quite  a  bustle  of  native  passengers,  peddlers,  beggars 
and  loafers.  At  most  of  the  preceding  stations  a  few  have  been  standing 
or  getting  on  and  off;  here  are  a  dozen  of  them,  some  of  whom  look  through 
the  train  to  see  that  no  Spaniards  are  on  board.  In  fact,  we  are  now  at 
the  capital  and  military  base  of  the  new-born  Philippine  republic.  But  that 
is  aside  from  the  object  of  this  sketch,  which  is  meant  to  bear  directly  upon 
industrial  and  economic  matters. 

11 1  would  like  to  be  able  to  state  the  population  of  this  important  place. 
But  no  census  statistics  or  reliable  information  are  easily  obtained  in  reference 
to  any  of  these  towns.  Neither  can  any  one  passing  through,  or  even  stop- 
ping a  few  hours,  form  any  good  estimates.  For  these,  like  nearly  all  the 
Filipino  towns,  are  usually  stretched  out  for  miles,  among  the  trees  and 
ponds ;  so  that,  in  wet  weather  especially,  it  is  no  easy  task  to  find  the  so- 
called  roads  and  streets,  to  say  nothing  of  the  scattered  huts  and  shacks. 
From  ordinary  observation  one  might  judge  the  largest  of  the  towns  on  this 
line  to  have  less  than  ten  thousand  people.  But  those  who  ought  to  know 
say  that  many  of  them,  such  as  Malolos,  run  up  to  twenty  and  thirty  thou- 
sand, while  a  few  are  placed  at  fifty  and  seventy-five  thousand. 


STRANGE   SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA.         289 

"  Within  the  nine  miles  from  Malolos  to  Calumpit  twelve  streams  are 
Crossed,  all  at  this  time,  of  sufficient  volume  to  be  called  rivers.  Most  of 
them  are  within  about  a  mile  of  Calumpit,  and  just  beyond  the  station  flows 
the  Rio  Grande  de  la  Pampanga,  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  Luzon  Island. 
The  stream  is  about  200  yards  wide  at  this  point,  which  is  probably  ten 
miles  from  where  it  empties,  by  twenty  mouths,  into  Manila  Bay.  Its  source 
is  in  the  mountains  to  the  north  and  east,  about  100  miles  in  a  straight 
line.  Here,  near  the  station,  is  a  rice  mill,  owned  by  an  English  firm  and 
managed  by  Mr.  Carrick,  an  American.  A  few  hours'  visit  at  this  place  was 
a  part  of  my  program  unfortunately  omitted. 

"A  few  miles  from  Calumpit  we  leave  the  wide,  shallow  streams  and 
marshy  lands  bordering  on  Manila  Bay  behind.  The  drainage  becomes 
much  better,  and  the  soil  still  has  the  appearance  of  inexhaustible  fertility. 
The  endless  fields  of  rice,  and  the  ever-present  bamboo,  become  less  predomi- 
nant, giving  place  to  a  larger  proportion  of  palms  and  cane  fields. 

"  The  third  town  from  Calumpit,  at  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  is  San  Fer- 
nando, reputed  to  have  a  population  of  80,000.  If  all  that  number  of  people 
are  not  there,  they  ought  to  be.  It  is  by  far  the  dryest  and  best-looking 
place  on  the  line — so  far,  there  are  car  and  engine  houses.  From  the  sta- 
tion can  be  seen  two  convents ;  also  some  show  of  manufacturing  in  the  way 
of  rough  pottery.  There  is  a  sugar  refinery  in  the  town,  as  I  was  told, 
owned  by  an  English  firm.  So  far  as  I  could  learn,  there  is  no  other  sugar 
establishment  on  the  line  of  any  importance. 

Natives  Riding  Buffaloes. 

"  From  San  Fernando  the  railway  begins  to  approach  within  plain  view 
of  the  rugged  little  mountains  on  the  west.  Along  here  there  is  a  small 
amount  of  fair-looking  pasture  land ;  nothing  was  seen,  so  far,  in  that  line  but 
some  half-naked  natives  riding  buffaloes  in  the  rain,  while  they  browsed  in 
small  patches  of  short  grass,  where  it  would  take  them  at  least  half  a  day  to 
get  a  feed. 

"  Some  miles  further  on  was  a  drove  of  thirty  small  cattle.  That  is 
the  only  approach  to  stock-raising  I  have  seen  in  this  corner  of  the  world. 
Here  the  villages  are  very  numerous,  and  there  is  to  be  seen  occasionally 
a  small  dwelling  of  bamboo,  but  wood. 

"  We  have  been  gradually  drawing  nearer  to  the  mountains  for  twenty 
miles  since  leaving  San  Fernando,  and  at  Bomban  the  steep  foot-hills  are 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  station.  Any  one  on  a  leisurely  visit, 
instead  of  a  flying  trip,  might  walk  a  few  miles  into  the  mountains  ;  and,  by 
good  fortune,  shoot  a  deer  or  wild  boar.  But  it  would  not  be  perfect  sport 
9  T) 


290         STRANGE   SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

until  drier  weather  sets  in.  A  few  miles  further  on,  and  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  the  mountains,  there  extends,  from  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
the  station,  as  far  away  as  the  eye  can  reach,  a  strip  of  thin  forest. 

"  Many  of  the  tree  trunks  tower  above  the  underbrush,  bare,  straight  and 
smooth,  nearly  a  hundred  feet  to  the  lowest  limbs.  This  is  the  forest  which 
was  mentioned  before  as  being  the  only  remnant  of  large  timber  in  sight  of 
the  railway.  Most  of  the  firewood  used  in  Manila  is  shipped  from  a  few  sta- 
tions along  here.  It  is  drawn  to  the  stations  on  small  buffalo  sleds.  There 
were  also  to  be  seen  some  large  hewn  timbers,  which  had  been  dragged  to 
the  station  by  buffaloes. 

"  From  Bomban,  we  leave  Pampanga,  one  of  the  most  populous  pro- 
vinces in  the  island,  and  enter  the  province  of  Tarlac,  which  is  much  more 
sparsely  settled.  The  areas  of  rice  and  cane  are  much  less.  There  are  a  few 
great  stretches  of  uncultivated  land,  extending  in  one  case  for  six  or  eight 
miles  along  the  line,  and  as  far  out  on  both  sides  as  one  can  see,  at  least, 
on  a  rainy  day.  Most  of  this  uncultivated  land  is  covered  with  very  tall 
coarse  grass,  in  which  fact,  probably,  rather  than  in  a  lack  of  productive- 
ness, lies  the  reason  of  the  lack  of  cultivation.  For  if  the  roots  of  the  grass 
are  as  tough  as  the  rugged  appearance  of  the  stems  would  indicate,  the 
breaking  of  the  land  would  be  a  more  formidable  task  than  any  ordinary 
force  of  natives  would  be  likely  to  accomplish ;  especially  with  their  little 
make-shift,  one-buffalo  plows. 

Oocoanut  Groves  and  Rice  Fields. 

"  From  Bamban  the  railway  bears  away  again  from  the  mountains ; 
again  the  land  is  very  flat,  and  the  areas  of  rice,  though  still  large,  are  not 
nearly  commensurate  with  the  amount  of  land  that  is  flooded  abundantly 
enough  for  that  purpose.  But  there  is  another  change  in  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  landscape,  and  a  very  agreeable  one  to  the  eye,  hitherto  confined 
to  the  bamboo  flats  around  the  Manila  side  of  the  bay.  Several  fine  cocoanut 
groves  are  seen  before  reaching  Tarlac,  and  from  there  on  they  become  so 
numerous  that,  beside  their  beautiful  stately  tops,  upon  tall  smooth  trunks, 
like  slender  columns,  the  never-failing  bamboo  sinks  to  the  proportion  of 
.inconspicuous  underbrush. 

"  Tarlac  is  the  chief  town  of  Tarlac  province,  and  one  of  the  largest 
on  the  railway.  Its  chief  fame,  so  far  as  I  could  discover,  lies  in  its  being 
one  of  the  subordinate  seats  of  insurgent  dominion. 

"  One  picture  will  fairly  represent  the  general  appearance  for  the  remain- 
ing forty-five  miles  to  Dagupan,  its  main  elements  being  flat  land  pretty  well 
well  drained  in  some  parts,  cocoanut  groves,  as  just  described ;  cane  fields 


STRANGE  SCENES  IN  AND  AROUND   MANILA         291 

occasionally,  and  always  rice.  The  only  large  town  is  Bayambang,  on  tKt 
river  Agno,  a  large  stream  similar  to  the  Rio  Grande  already  described.  The 
Agno,  also,  rises  in  the  northern  mountains,  sweeping  round  in  a  great  half 
circle  by  Bayambang,  and  going  back  north  parallel  to  the  railway,  one  of  its 
many  mouths  being  near  Dagupan. 

"  Smith,  Bell  &  Co.,  an  English  firm,  have  a  rice  mill  at  Bayambang, 
and  also  one  at  Gerona,  which  we  have  left  unmentioned,  back  next  to 
Tarlac,  and  to  complete  the  list  of  all  I  could  discover  in  the  way  of  manu- 
facturing along  the  only  line  of  communication  through  this  great  resource- 
ful section,  it  is  necessary  to  mention  the  village  of  Calasiao,  next  to  Dagu- 
pan. There  are  made  the  finest  of  the  world-famed  Manila  hats.  There  is 
no  regular  factory  at  all,  hence  the  superiority  of  the  hats.  They  are  made 
by  simple  natives  from  material  much  superior  to  any  straw,  namely :  cane 
split  to  a  fineness  that  must  require  great  skill  and  infinite  patience. 

"  This  rapid  sketch,  confined  mostly  to  what  can  be  seen  from  the  train, 
and  during  a  few  hours'  visit  at  two  points,  is  not  to  be  taken  as  an  attempt 
to  present  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  resources  of  the  territory  already  out- 
lined as  being  tributary  to  the  road.  It  is  true,  however,  that  over  the  wide 
valley,  as  along  the  railway,  rice  and  sugar  are  the  only  great  agricultural 
staples.  But  the  predominance  of  rice  over  sugar  near  the  line,  does  not  hold 
good  in  a  general  way,  for  most  of  the  sugar,  of  course,  is  grown  on  higher 
land.  The  best  sugar  lands  are  said  to  be  in  the  province  of  Nueva  Ecija, 
which  lies  next  to  the  eastern  mountains,  and  is  not  touched  by  the  railroad. 

Unequalled  Fertility  of  Soil. 

"  Since  cane  sugar  and  rice  are  both  commercially  in  the  background, 
it  is  of  slight  purpose  to  speak  of  the  unequalled  crops  of  rice  that  are 
grown  with  little  labor;  or  the  fortunes  that  have  been  made  from  sugar- 
growing  under  a  labor  system  apparently  cheap,  but  in  reality  most  per- 
verse and  unsatisfactory,  especially  as  applied  to  a  large  agricultural  industry 
requiring  regular,  prompt  attention.  But  those  facts  prove  the  unsurpassed 
fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  regularity  of  the  abundant  rainfall.  The  health- 
fulness  of  the  climate  is  well  attested  by  Englishmen,  whose  experience 
extends  through  a  decade.  They  say  the  summer  heat  in  this  region,  far 
from  being  deadly  to  foreigners  as  many  suppose,  is,  in  fact,  less  oppressive 
than  in  Manila. 

"  But  the  real  question  of  future  development  of  this  particular  region  has 
been  almost  as  little  exploited  along  agricultural  lines  by  systematic  experi- 
ment, as  it  has  been  in  reference  to  the  very  promising  forests  and  minerals  in 
the  surrounding  mountains  which  are  all  undeveloped,  and  largely  unexplorede 


£92         STRANGE  SCENES   IN   AND   AROUND   MANILA. 

"  In  this  natural  garden  spot  a  phenomenal  agricultural  development 
rill  speedily  follow  upon  the  establishment  of  sound  government,  and  the 
solution  of  two  very  common  industrial  problems,  namely,  the  establishment 
of  a  national  labor  system,  and  the  experimental  adaptation  of  profitable 
crops,  such  as  cotton,  coffee,  Manila  hemp,  oranges,  lemons,  and  number- 
less other  field  crops  and  tropical  fruits. 

"  The  depraved  quality  of  labor  on  these  islands  is  not  due  to  the  natur- 
ally inherent  characteristics  of  the  natives  so  much  as  to  the  demoralizing 
influence  of  the  corrupt  government  and  vicious  industrial  system  under 
which  they  have  suffered  for  centuries.  Hence  under  an  equitable  regime 
this  great  barrier  in  the  path  of  progress  will  rapidly  disappear." 

Statement  by  Admiral  Dewey. 

The  one  man  whose  judgment  as  to  the  final  destiny  of  the  Philippine 
Islands  will  carry  more  weight  with  the  American  people  than  the  opinions  of 
any  other  hundred  men  of  the  country,  however  high  in  official  position,  is 
Admiral  George  Dewey.  He  is  a  stranger  to  all  the  arts  of  the  demagogue ; 
he  is  not  seeking  political  preferment ;  on  the  contrary,  he  is  averse  to  all 
political  movements  in  any  way  affecting  himself,  and  he  has  had  the  ripest 
experience  of  any  American  citizen  or  officer  as  to  what  should  be  the  policy 
of  our  government  in  treating  our  new  Spanish  possessions  in  the  Pacific. 

Admiral  Dewey  several  times  incidentally  referred  to  the  destiny  of  the 
Philippines  in  public  or  private  utterances,  but  when  he  arrived  at  Hong  Kong 
OD  his  homeward  journey,  he  expressed  his  views  on  the  subject  of  handling 
the  Philippines  as  follows :  "  We  must  never  sell  them.  Such  an  action 
would  bring  on  another  great  war.  We  will  never  part  with  the  Philippines, 
I  am  sure,  and  in  future  years  the  idea  that  anybody  should  have  seriously 
suggested  it,  will  be  one  of  the  curiosities  of  history." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
War  with  the  Filipino  Insurgents. 

HE  insurgent  army  of  Aguirialdo,  which  had  resolutely  maintained 
its  position  near  Manila  after  the  town  was  surrendered  by  the 
Spaniards  to  the  American  soldiers  and  sailors,  made  a  fierce 
attack  on  the  American  lines  in  the  evening  of  February  4,  1899. 

General  Otis,  who  succeeded  General  Merritt  in  command  of  our  infantry  at 

Manila,  sent  the  following  official  despatch : 

"  MANILA,  February  5,  1899. 
"  To  Adjutant  General  Cortotn,  Washington : 

"  Insurgents  in  large  force  opened  attack  on  our  outer  lines  at  a  quarter 
to  nine  last  evening ;  renewed  attack  several  times  during  night ;  at  four 
o'clock  this  morning  entire  line  engaged  ;  all  attacks  repulsed ;  at  daybreak 
advanced  against  insurgents  and  have  driven  them  beyond  the  lines  they 
formerly  occupied,  capturing  several  villages  and  their  defence  works ;  insur- 
gents' loss  in  dead  and  wounded  very  large;  our  own  casualties  compara- 
tively few.  Troops  enthusiastic  and  acting  fearlessly.  Navy  did  splen- 
did execution  on  flanks  of  enemy ;  insurgents  secured  a  good  many  Mausei 
rifles,  a  few  field  pieces  and  quick-firing  guns,  with  ammunition. 

"  OTIS." 

This  message  was  received  from  Rear- Admiral  Dewey: 

"  MANILA,  February  5,  1899. 
"  To  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Washington : 

"  Insurgents  here  inaugurated  general  engagement  yesterday  night, 
which  was  continued  to-day.  The  American  army  and  navy  are  generally 
successful.  Insurgents  have  been  driven  back  and  our  line  advanced.  No 
casualties  to  navy.  "  DEWEY." 

This  cablegram  from  General  Otis  was  received  at  the  War  Department'. 

"  MANILA,  February  5,  1899. 
14  Adjutant  General  Corbin,  Washington: 

"  Have  established  our  permanent  lines  well  out  and  have  driven  off  the 
insurgents.  The  troops  have  conducted  themselves  with  great  heroism. 

298 


294  ATTACK  ON   MANILA   BY   THE   INSURGENTS. 

The  country  about  Manila  is  peaceful,  and  the  city  perfectly  quiet.  List  of 
casualties  not  as  great  as  at  first  supposed.  "  OTIS." 

Defeated  in  a  desperate  effort  to  break  through  the  American  lines  and 
enter  the  city  of  Manila,  the  insurgent  forces,  after  fourteen  hours  of  con- 
tinuous fighting,  were  driven  from  the  villages  of  Santa  Anna,  Paco  and  Santa 
Mesa.  They  were  compelled  to  retreat  to  a  position  quite  a  distance  further 
out  in  the  suburbs  than  the  one  they  held  before  attacking  the  city. 

Although  it  was  at  first  impossible  accurately  to  estimate  the  number  of 
Americans  who  fell,  it  was  believed  that  few  of  our  men  were  killed.  Upward 
of  fifty  were  wounded.  The  losses  of  the  insurgents  were  heavy,  the  Ameri- 
can troops  having  gone  into  the  engagement  with  great  enthusiasm  and 
determination.  They  made  the  streets  of  the  city  ring  with  their  cheers  when 
they  were  notified  of  the  attack  and  were  ordered  to  advance. 

Several  of  the  vessels  in  Admiral  Dewey's  squadron  participated  in  the 
fight,  firing  on  the  natives  in  Malate  and  Caloocan,  and  driving  them  inland 
from  both  of  those  places. 

How  the  Fight  Began. 

This  engagement  was  brought  about  by  the  action  of  *hree  natives  scouts, 
who,  advancing  close  to  the  American  lines  near  Santa  Mesa,  made  a  feint  to 
go  through.  They  retreated  upon  being  challenged,  but  returned  again  in  a 
short  time.  Once  more  they  retreated.  When  they  returned  a  third  time 
and  attempted  to  make  their  way  past  the  outposts  of  the  Nebraska  troops  a 
corporal  challenged  them  and  then  fired.  One  of  the  natives  was  killed  and 
another  wounded. 

This  affair  was  followed  at  nine  o'clock  by  a  general  attack  on  the 
American  outposts.  The  insurgents  advanced  all  along  the  line  from 
Caloocan  to  Santa  Mesa.  Our  troops  lost  no  time  in  replying  to  the  attack. 
Members  of  the  North  Dakota,  Nebraska  and  Montana  regiments  returned 
the  insurgent  fire  with  great  vigor  and  succeeded  in  holding  the  natives  in 
check  until  the  main  body  of  the  American  troops  arrived  on  the  scene. 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  fighting  after  the  first  reply  of  our  troops,  but 
the  firing  was  continued  for  five  hours  with  much  regularity.  During  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning  it  became  more  brisk,  and  at  daylight  the  Amer- 
ican troops  made  a  firm  advance. 

In  the  daylight  it  was  found  that  the  insurgents  had  massed  themselves 
about  Santa  Mesa  and  Caloocan,  and  that  they  had  a  considerable  force 
about  Gagalangin.  Our  troops  directed  their  movements  primarily  against 
the  natives  between  the  first  named  places,  and  ultimately  drove  them  out  of 
the  two  villages.  Telling  work  was  done  at  the  same  time  against  the  insur- 


ATTACK   ON   MANILA   BY    THE   INSURGENTS.  295 

gents  about  Gagalangin,  and  when  the  fighting  ceased  our  troops  were  in 
possession  of  Santa  Anna,  in  which  village  the  natives  had  congregated  for 
weeks  prior  to  the  fight 

While  the  American  troops  were  doing  such  effective  work  in  repelling 
the  attack,  news  of  the  fight  was  received  on  board  the  vessels  of  the 
American  squadron,  and  the  monitor  Monadnock,  which  was  lying  offMalate, 
joined  with  the  gunboat  Concord  and  the  cruiser  Charleston,  lying  off 
Malabon,  in  firing  on  the  insurgents. 

Pierce  Fighting  in  the  Darkness. 

The  following  graphic  account  of  the  engagement  by  a  correspondent  at 
Manila  furnishes  further  details  of  the  battle : 

"  The  long  expected  conflict  between  the  Americans  and  Filipinos  has 
come  at  last.  The  clash  came  at  fifteen  minutes  before  nine  o'clock  Saturday 
evening,  when  three  daring  Filipinos  darted  past  the  Nebraska  regiment's 
pickets  at  Santa  Mesa,  but  retired  when  challenged.  They  repeated  the 
experiment  without  drawing  the  sentries'  fire.  But  the  third  time  Corporal 
Greely  challenged  the  Filipinos  and  then  fired,  killing  one  of  them  and 
wounding  another. 

"Almost  immediately  afterward  the  Filipinos'  line,  from  Caloocan  to 
Santa  Mesa,  began  a  fusillade,  which  was  ineffectual.  The  outposts  of  the 
Nebraska,  Montana  and  North  Dakota  troops  replied  vigorously  and  held 
their  ground  until  reinforcements  arrived. 

"  The  Filipinos  in  the  meantime  concentrated  at  three  points — Caloocan, 
Gagalangin  and  Santa  Mesa.  At  about  one  o'clock  the  Filipinos  opened  a 
hot  fire  from  all  three  places  simultaneously.  This  was  supplemented  by  the 
firing  of  two  siege  guns  at  Balik-Balik  and  by  advancing  their  skirmishers  at 
Paco  and  Pandacan.  The  Americans  responded  with  a  terrific  fire,  but  owing 
to  the  darkness  they  were  unable  to  determine  its  effect,  and  the  Utah  light 
artillery  finally  succeeded  in  silencing  the  native  battery.  The  Third  artillery 
also  did  good  work  on  the  extreme  left.  The  engagement  lasted  more  than 
an  hour. 

'•'  The  United  States  cruiser  Charleston  and  the  gunboat  Concord,  sta- 
tioned off  Malabon,  opened  fire  from  their  secondary  batteries  on  the  Fili- 
pinos' position  at  Caloocan  and  kept  it  up  vigorously.  There  was  another 
fusillade  along  the  entire  line  at  a  quarter  to  three  o'clock,  Sunday  morning, 
and  the  United  States  seagoing  monitor  Monadnock  opened  fire  on  the 
^nemy  from  off  Malate. 

"  With  daylight  the  Americans  advanced.  The  Californian  and  Wash- 
ington regiments  made  a  splendid  charge  and  drove  the  Filipinos  from  the 


296  ATTACK   ON   MANILA   BY  THE   INSURGENTS. 

villages  of  Paco  and  Santa  Mesa.  The  Nebraska  regiment  also  distinguished 
itself,  capturing  several  prisoners  and  one  howitzer  and  a  very  strong  posi- 
tion at  the  reservoir,  which  is  connected  with  the  water  works. 

Turned  the  Right  Flank  of  the  Insurgents. 

"  The  Kansas  and  Dakota  regiments  compelled  the  enemy's  right  flank 
to  retire  to  Caloocan.  There  was  intermittent  firing  at  various  points  for 
many  hours.  The  losses  of  the  Filipinos  are  very  heavy.  The  American 
losses  are  comparatively  light  The  Ygorates  tribe,  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows,  made  a  very  determined  stand  in  the  face  of  a  hot  artillery  fire  and 
left  many  men  dead  on  the  field.  Several  attempts  were  made  in  this  city 
yesterday  evening  to  assassinate  American  officers." 

Details  of  the  battle  furnished  additional  particulars  of  the  victory  gained 
by  the  American  troops.  The  first  shot  from  the  American  sentry  was  evi- 
dently accepted  as  a  prearranged  signal,  for  it  was  followed  almost  imme- 
diately by  a  terrific  fusillade  along  the  entire  Filipino  line  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Pasig  river.  The  American  outposts  returned  the  fire  with  such  vigor 
that  the  Filipinos  were  checked  until  the  arrival  of  reinforcements. 

All  the  troops  in  the  vicinity  were  hurried  out  and  the  Filipinos  ceased 
firing  for  half  an  hour  while  their  own  reinforcements  came  up.  At  10  o'clock 
the  fighting  was  resumed,  the  American  firing  line,  consisting  of  the  Third 
Artillery,  the  Kansas  and  Montana  regiments,  the  Minnesota  regiment,  the 
South  Dakota  and  Colorado  regiments,  the  Pennsylvanians,  Nebraskans,  the 
Utah  Battery,  the  Idahos,  the  Washingtons,  the  Californians,  the  Fourth  Cav- 
alry, North  Dakota  Volunteers,  Sixth  Artillery,  and  the  Fourteenth  Infantry. 

The  Filipinos  concentrated  their  forces  at  three  points,  Caloocan,  Santa 
Mesa  and  Galingatan,  and  maintained  an  intermittent  fusillade  for  some  hours. 
They  brought  artillery  into  action  at  Galingatan  at  10.30,  but  only  one  gun 
annoyed  the  Americans  to  any  appreciable  extent — a  howitzer  on  the  road 
beyond  Santa  Mesa.  The  Third  Artillery  silenced  the  Galingatan  battery  by 
firing  two  guns  simultaneously,  which  was  followed  immediately  by  volleys 
from  the  infantry. 

At  about  midnight  there  was  a  lull  in  the  firing  lasting  until  3.45  A.M., 
#hen  the  whole  Filipino  line  reopened  fire.  The  Americans  poured  a  terrific 
fire  into  the  darkness  for  twenty  minutes,  and  then  there  was  another  lull  until 
daylight,  when  the  Americans  made  a  general  advance. 

During  the  night,  in  response  to  Rear-Admiral  Dewey's  signals  flashed 
across  from  Cavite,  the  United  States  cruiser  Charleston  and  the  gunboat 
Concord,  stationed  at  Malabon,  poured  a  deadly  fire  from  their  secondary 
battery  into  the  Filipino  trenches  at  Caloocan.  After  daylight  the  Unite*? 


ATTACK   ON   MANILA   BY  THE  INSURGENTS.          297 

States  double-turret  seagoing  monitor  Monadnock  opened  fire  off  Malate  and 
kept  shelling  the  Filipinos'  left  flank,  while  the  other  vessels  shelled  thf 
enemy's  right  flank  for  several  hours. 

By  10  o'clock  the  Americans  had  apparently  completely  routed  the 
enemy  and  had  taken  several  villages,  had  destroyed  hundreds  of  native  huts 
and  had  secured  possession  of  the  water  main,  a  distance  of  over  six  miles. 
The  Tennessee  regiment  joined  the  firing  line  at  10  o'clock  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing and  assisted  in  capturing  Santa  Mesa. 

A  Brilliant  Charge. 

One  of  the  most  notable  events  of  Sunday's  work  was  driving  the  Fili- 
pinos out  of  their  stronghold  at  Paco  by  the  reserve,  a  few  companies  of 
Californians  commanded  by  Colonel  Duboce.  The  main  road  to  the  village 
was  lined  by  native  huts  full  of  Filipino  sharpshooters.  After  they  had 
been  firing  upon  General  King  and  his  staff,  killing  a  driver,  and  firing  upon 
an  ambulance  of  the  Red  Cross  Society,  Colonel  Duboce  ordered  the  huts  to 
be  cleared  and  burned. 

The  Filipinos  concentrated  in  Paco  Church  and  convent,  where  they 
made  a  determined  stand  in  the  upper  stories.  A  platoon  of  Californians 
stationed  on  a  neighboring  bridge  maintained  a  hot  fire  on  the  Filipinos,  but 
was  unable  to  dislodge  them.  In  the  face  of  a  terrible  fusillade  Colonel 
Duboce  and  a  few  volunteers  dashed  into  the  church,  scattered  coal  oil  inside 
ol  it,  and  set  fire  to  the  oil  and  retired. 

In  the  meantime  Captain  Dyer's  battery  of  the  Sixth  Artillery  bom 
barded  the  church,  dropping  a  dozen  shells  into  the  tower  and  roof.     Com 
pany  L  and  part  of  Company  G,  of  the  Californians,  charged  into  the  church, 
but  were  unable  to  ascend  the  single  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  story  above. 

After  the  incendiaries  had  retired  a  company  of  the  Idaho  and  Washing- 
ton Guards,  stationed  on  either  side  of  the  building,  picked  off  the  Filipinos 
as  they  were  smoked  out.  Many  of  the  rebels,  however,  escaped  into  the 
brush  in  the  rear  of  the  church.  The  Americans  captured  fifty-three  of  the 
insurgents,  and  during  the  fighting  about  the  church  some  twenty  of  the 
insurgents  were  killed.  Some  2,500  women,  children  and  non-combatants 
were  allowed  to  enter  the  American  lines  after  promising  to  go  to  the  houses 
of  friends  and  remain  there. 

Another  intensely  exciting  incident  occurred  during  the  engagement. 
The  Washingtons  and  Idahos  and  Companies  K  and  M,  of  the  Californians, 
made  charges  across  the  rice  fields  between  Paco  and  Santa  Anna  in  the  face 
of  a  terrible  fusillade.  The  ground  over  which  they  passed  was  covered  with 
dead  and  wounded  natives.  The  former  were  buried  in  groups  of  five  or  six 


293          ATTACK  ON   MANILA   BY   THE   INSURGENTS. 

about  where  they  lay,  and  the  latter  were  brought  to  the  hospital.  It  was  at 
this  stage  of  the  fighting  and  at  Caloocan  that  the  Filipinos  suffered  their 
heaviest  losses. 

The  Fourteenth  Regulars  were  in  a  particularly  tight  place  near  Singalon 
and  Colonel  Duboce  was  compelled  to  rush  past  them  with  the  reserve  in 
order  to  prevent  the  regulars  from  being  cut  off.  In  the  last  line  twelve  men 
were  killed  before  the  insurgents  retired.  Both  sides  cheered  frequently 
during  the  engagement.  The  American  "  Hurrahs  "  were  almost  invariably 
met  by  derisive  "  vivas."  Among  the  natives  the  Ygorates  were  specially 
noticeable  for  their  bravery,  about  700  of  these  naked  savages  facing  artillery 
fire  with  their  bows  and  arrows. 

The  scene  at  Manila  when  the  alarm  was  given  on  Saturday  night  was 
wildly  exciting.  The  American  soldiers  in  the  theatres  and  at  the  circus 
were  called  out,  the  performances  were  stopped.  Filipinos  scurried  every- 
where and  the  rattle  of  musketry  and  the  booming  of  cannon  outside  the 
city  were  plainly  heard. 

Refugees  in  the  City. 

The  residents  of  the  outskirts  of  Manila  flocked  into  the  walled  city, 
with  their  arms  full  of  articles.  All  the  carriages  disappeared  as  if  by  magic, 
the  street  cars  were  stopped,  the  telegraph  lines  were  cut  and  the  soldiers 
hurriedly  but  silently  marched  out  of  the  city  to  the  stations  assigned  to 
them.  The  stores  were  closed  amost  instantly,  foreign  flags  were  to  be  seen 
flying  from  many  windows  and  a  number  of  white  rags  were  hung  out  from 
Filipino  huts  and  houses. 

On  Sunday  immense  crowds  of  people  visited  the  water  front  and 
gathered  in  the  highest  towers  to  watch  the  bombardment.  There  were  no 
steamers  or  carriages  to  be  seen  and  the  streets  were  almost  deserted.  The 
Minnesota  troops,  acting  as  police,  searched  every  native  and  arrested  many 
of  them,  with  the  result  that  while  there  were  several  attempts  to  assassinate 
American  officers  on  Saturday,  there  were  none  on  Sunday.  Absolute  order 
was  maintained. 

The  United  States  flagship  Olympia  steamed  across  the  bay  on  Sunday 
and  took  a  position  near  the  German  cruiser  Irene  and  the  British  cruiser 
Narcissus,  off  the  Mole.  The  Americans  were  determined  not  to  give  the 
Filipinos  a  chance  to  recuperate.  Two  Filipino  commissioners  from  Iloilo 
and  four  insurgents  officers  were  arrested  on  board  the  steamer  Uranus. 
Many  suspects  were  arrested  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 

The  good  results  of  the  firing  were  seen  in  the  morning.  Nearly  all  of 
the  native  huts  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  were  flying  white  flags.  The  bur- 
ial of  the  dead  Filipinos  by  our  soldiers  began  at  once.  In  one  place  180 


ATTACK   ON   MANILA   BY  THE   INSURGENTS.  295 

bodies  were  found,  and  in  another  sixty.     Nearly  every  American  regiment 
engaged  reported  rinding  fifty  or  more  of  the  enemy  dead  along  its  front. 

Two  men  on  board  the  Monadnock  were  wounded  by  rifle  shots  from  the 
insurgents  on  the  shore,  showing  the  closeness  of  the  monitor  to  the  beach. 
The  slaughter  of  the  insurgents  north  of  the  city  by  the  fire  of  the  quick-firing 
guns  of  the  captured  gunboat  Callao,  the  6-inch  guns  of  the  gunboat  Concord 
and  the  8-inch  shells  of  the  cruiser  Charleston,  was  particularly  heavy. 

Torn  to  Pieces  by  Shells. 

The  Filipinos  had  massed  along  the  beach,  where  they  had  been  driven 
by  General  Otis'  brigade,  and  hundreds  of  them  were  literally  torn  to  pieces 
by  the  terrific  rain  of  shells  from  the  warships.  The  American  troops  com- 
manded the  river  front  along  the  Pasig,  while  the  captured  Spanish  gun-boat 
Laguna  from  the  bay  swept  the  rice  fields  along  the  river  bank,  fairly  rid- 
dling the  village  of  Santa  Anna  with  her  Gatling  guns. 

The  American  troops  while  the  fighting  was  going  on  were  disposed  in 
the  following  manner  from  the  bay  on  the  north  around  the  city  to  the  bay 
on  the  south  :  The  Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  Third  Artillery,  First  Montana 
Infantry  and  Tenth  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  under  command  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Otis ;  the  First  South  Dakota  Infantry,  First  Colorado  Infantry  and  First 
Nebraska  Infantry,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Hale,  both  brigades 
being  supported  by  Batteries  A  and  B,  of  the  Utah  Light  Artillery,  under 
command  of  General  McArthur ;  the  First  California  Infantry,  first  Idaho  In- 
fantry, First  Wyoming  Infantry  and  First  Washington  Infantry,  under  Brig- 
adier-General King ;  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  Fourteenth  Infantry  and  First  North 
Dakota  Infantry,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Ovenshine,  both  brigades 
being  supported  by  the  Sixth  Artillery  Division,  commanded  by  General 
Anderson. 

There  was  some  firing  to  the  north  of  the  city  early  this  morning,  but  the 
general  engagement  practically  ended  on  Sunday  afternoon.  The  Fourteenth 
Infantry  suffered  most  of  the  fatalities,  owing  to  the  close  approach  of  the  en- 
emy under  the  cover  of  the  dense  shrubbery  and  firing  at  short  range  from 
behind  huts  and  other  protecting  objects.  The  First  Washington  Infantry 
and  the  Third  Artillery  also  suffered  heavily.  The  Utah  artillery  division  and 
the  Sixth  Artillery  were  splendidly  effective  in  shelling  the  insurgent  trenches 
on  Sunday  morning. 

The  victory  of  the  American  troops  was  complete.  The  insurgents  were 
were  driven  back  ten  miles  with  terrible  slaughter.  The  number  of  killed  and 
wounded  on  the  American  side  was  insignificant  compared  with  the  losses 
inflicted  on  the  enemy, 


300          ATTACK   ON   MANILA  BY  THE   INSURGENTS. 

The  Americans  held  all  the  points  they  captured,  and  under  date  ol 
February  /th  the  following  statement  of  the  situation  was  furnished : 

"  The  Americans  are  in  complete  control  of  the  situation  within  a  radius 
of  nine  miles  of  Manila.  Their  lines  extending  to  Malabon,  on  the  north, 
and  to  Paranaque,  on  the  south,  are  twenty-five  miles  long. 

"  While  a  few  detached  bodies  of  the  enemy  still  offer  desultory  opposi 
tion,  the  main  body  of  the  rebels  is  in  full  retreat  and  utterly  routed.     Of  the 
hordes  of  troops  originally  drawn  up  in  battle  array  against  the  Americans, 
fully  one-third  are  incapacitated  and  the  others  are  scattered  in  every  direction. 

"  The  terrible  loss  of  the  rebels  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  1 60 
of  them  were  buried  in  one  rice  field  on  Monday,  near  Pasas,  and  that  87 
were  interred  between  Paco  and  Santa  Anna.  A  converted  river  gunboat  did 
terrible  execution  among  the  rebels,  sweeping  both  banks  of  the  river  with 
her  Catling  guns  and  her  heavier  battery.  Hundreds  of  Filipinos  undoubtedly 
crawled  into  the  canebrakes  and  died  there. 

"  The  Americans  are  working  nobly  in  their  efforts  to  find  the  wounded 
and  are  now  bringing  hundreds  of  suffering  rebels  to  the  hospitals  for  treat- 
ment. The  natives  are  unable  to  understand  the  humane  motives  which 
prompt  the  victors  to  succor  the  wounded  of  the  enemy. 

Women  Even  Fought. 

"  The  members  of  the  hospital  corps  made  the  startling  discovery  that 
there  are  several  women,  in  male  dress  and  with  hair  cropped,  among  the 
dead.  A  Filipino  colonel  came  out  this  morning  from  Caloocan,  under  a  flag 
of  truce.  Several  American  officers  promptly  went  to  meet  him,  but  when 
the  parties  met  the  Filipinos  opened  fire.  The  Filipino  apologized  for  the 
barbarous  conduct  of  his  troops  and  returned  to  his  lines. 

"  The  American  troops  are  being  promptly  furnished  with  supplies  of  all 
kinds,  hospital  attendance  is  supplied  up  to  the  firing  line,  and,  in  brief,  all 
the  wants  of  our  troops  are  met  immediately  by  the  different  military  depart- 
ments whose  duty  it  is  to  attend  to  such  matters. 

"  The  chief  of  the  Ygorates,  the  Filipino  natives  who  fought  so  gallantly 
in  the  face  of  our  artillery  fire,  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  is  in  a  hospital 
•with  a  shattered  thigh.  He  admits  that  he  never  saw  modern  artillery  and 
was  ignorant  of  its  effects  until  he  and  his  followers  met  the  disastrous  fire  of 
Sunday  morning. 

"  The  chief  is  bitterly  incensed  against  the  Tagalos  for  placing  the 
Ygorates  in  front  of  the  American  battery,  under  the  pretense  that  they 
were  sent  to  occupy  a  post  of  honor,  and  he  intimates  that  the  Ygorates  witt 
avenge  this  treachery  when  the  survivors  return  north. 


ATTACK   ON   MANILA   BY  THE   INSURGENTS,  301 

"  Hundreds  of  women  refugees  are  pouring  into  Manila  from  all  direc- 
tions, as  the  villages  around  Manila  have,  as  a  rule,  been  destroyed  by  the 
troops.  The  further  the  Americans  extend  their  lines  the  more  the  need  of 
means  of  transportation  increases,  The  American  commanders  have  already 
been  compelled  to  impress  horses  and  vehicles  on  all  sides,  to  the  inconveni- 
ence, naturally,  of  the  civilians. 

"  At  9  o'clock  last  night  there  was  a  general  fusillade  in  the  Guiapo  and 
Binon  districts.  The  inhabitants  of  the  city  generally  believed  that  a  battle 
was  raging  at  their  doors,  lights  were  extinguished  inside  the  dwellings  and 
a  majority  of  the  people  were  in  a  state  of  terror.  Under  the  circumstances 
it  is  remarkable  that  no  casualties  were  reported.  Several  shots  were  fired 
across  the  river  during  the  excitement.  General  Hughes  has  the  interior 
situation  absolutely  in  hand. 

"  Artificer  Hays,  of  Company  I,  of  the  Colorado  Regiment,  discovered 
the  missing  parts  of  the  pumping  machinery  of  the  water  v/orks  buried  in  a 
coal  pile  at  Singalon  station.  The  machinery  will  soon  be  in  working  order 
again,  and  the  employees  having  promised  to  return  to  work  this  evening,  it 
is  improbable  that  the  threatened  water  famine  will  occur/' 

General  Aguinaldo,  the  rebel  leader,  issued  two  proclamations.  In  the 
first  he  says: 

"  I  order  and  command :  First.  That  peace  and  friendly  relations  with 
the  Americans  be  broken  and  that  the  latter  be  treated  as  enemies  within  the 
limits  prescribed  by  laws  of  war. 

"  Second.  That  the  Americans  captured  be  held  as  prisoners  of  war. 

"Third.  That  this  proclamation  be  communicated  to  the  consuls  and 
that  Congress  order  and  accord  a  suspension  of  the  constitutional  guarantee 
resulting  from  the  declaration  of  war." 

In  the  second  proclamation  Aguinaldo  says : 

"  We  have  fought  our  ancient  oppressors  without  arms,  and  we  now 
trust  to  God  to  defend  us  against  the  foreign  invaders." 

The  Filipinos  Determined  on  War. 

It  was  plain  from  the  proclamation  of  the  insurgent  leader  that  he  had 
not  given  up  the  resolve  and  the  expectation  of  being  able  to  overthrow  the 
authority  of  the  United  States  in  the  Philippines.  The  only  way  to  bring 
him  and  his  blind  followers  to  terms  was  to  push  on  the  campaign  and  admin- 
ister a  crushing  blow  to  the  insurgents.  So  it  v/as  thought  at  Washington, 
yet  it  was  conceded  that  the  undertaking  was  by  no  means  a  light  one  and 
the  fighting  qualities  of  our  army  would  be  put  to  the  test  before  peace  could 
be  assured. 


302  CAPTURE   OF   ILOILO. 

Further  military  operations  in  the  Philippines  resulted  in  more  victories 
for  the  American  troops,  who  routed  the  insurgents  and  held  them  in  check. 
Under  date  of  February  1 4th  the  following  dispatch  was  received  at  the  War 
Department  in  Washington  : 

"The  United  States  forces,  under  Brigadier  General  Miller,  captured 
Iloilo,  capital  of  the  Island  of  Panay,  and  seat  of  the  so-called  government  of 
the  Visayan  Federation,  on  February  nth,  after  a  bombardment.  The  rebels 
set  the  town  on  fire  before  evacuating  it,  but  the  American  troops  extinguished 
the  flames.  There  were  no  casualties  on  the  American  side." 

Bombardment  of  Iloilo. 

General  Miller,  on  receipt  of  his  instructions  from  Manila,  sent  native 
commissioners  ashore  from  the  United  States  transport  St.  Paul  with  a  com- 
munication for  the  rebel  Governor  of  Iloilo  calling  on  him  to  surrender  within 
a  time  stated  and  warning  him  not  to  make  a  demonstration  in  the  interval. 
The  rebels  immediately  moved  their  guns  and  prepared  to  defend  their  posi- 
tion. The  Petrel  fired  two  warning  guns.  The  rebels  immediately  opened 
fire  on  her.  The  Petrel  and  the  Baltimore  then  bombarded  the  town,  which 
the  rebels,  having  set  on  fire,  immediately  evacuated.  American  troops  were 
promptly  landed  and  extinguished  the  fires  in  all  cases  of  foreign  property, 
but  not  before  considerable  damage  had  been  done. 

The  following  official  despatch  from  General  Otis  confirmed  the  first  re- 
ports of  the  capture  of  Iloilo  : 

"  General  Miller  reports  from  Iloilo  that  town  taken  I  ith  instant  and 
held  by  troops.  Insurgents  given  until  evening  of  I  ith  to  surrender,  but  their 
hostile  action  brought  on  engagement  during  the  morning.  Insurgents  fired 
native  portion  of  town,  but  little  loss  to  property  of  foreign  inhabitants.  No 
casualties  among  the  United  States  troops  reported." 

General  Miller  left  Manila  on  December  26  on  the  transport  Newport, 
with  the  Eighteenth  Regular  Infantry  and  a  battery  of  the  Sixth  Regular 
Artillery.  Later,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Panay  insurgents  had 
taken  possession  of  the  place  on  the  surrender  of  the  Spaniards  and  refused 
to  withdraw  to  permit  the  American  troops  to  occupy  it,  General  Miller  was 
instructed  to  avoid  a  conflict,  but  to  guard  against  any  possibility  of  a  repulse 
in  the  event  that  hostilities  occurred.  The  Fifty-first  Iowa  Infantry  was  sent 
to  reinforce  him.  Later  the  Iowa  regiment  was  withdrawn  to  Manila  to  give 
the  men  a  period  of  rest  ashore,  as  they  had  been  aboard  ship  practically  ever 
since  they  left  San  Francisco.  The  First  Tennessee  Regiment  was  sent  to 
reinforce  General  Miller,  and  he  attacked  the  city  when  these  troops  arrive4 
General  Miller  had  a  forcc  of  3,322  raeo. 


SURRENDER  OF  NEGROS  AND   CEBU.  305 

On  February  2ist  the  transport  Newport  arrived  at  Manila  from  Iloilo, 
having  on  board  Senor  Aranita,  the  President  of  the  provisional  government 
of  Negros,  and  other  representative  natives  of  the  island.  They  called  upon 
the  American  authorities.  These  men  visited  General  Miller  at  Iloilo  and 
discussed  the  situation  with  him.  They  then  returned  to  Silay,  the  principal 
town  MI  the  northern  part  of  Negros,  and  hoisted  the  American  flag,  The 
flag  was  also  raised  at  Bacoloo,  the  capital  of  the  island,  and  was  saluted  with 
twenty-one  guns.  Afterward  the  men  returned  to  Iloilo  in  order  to  embark 
for  Manila  to  confer  with  General  Otis. 

It  was  thought  this  new  development  would  have  an  important  effect  on 
the  general  situation  in  the  islands.  Negros  is  one  of  the  richest  islands  in 
the  archipelago,  and  the  principal  producer  of  sugar. 

The  people  of  Negros  have  never  sympathized  with  either  the  Tagal  of 
Visayan  insurgents,  and  obviously  were  desirous  of  settling  down  to  peaceful 
occupations.  It  was  hoped  that  other  islands  would  follow  this  example. 

The  American  Flag  Hoisted  at  Oebu. 

It  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  island  of  Cebu  was  ready  to  submit  to 
the  authority  of  the  United  States.  Cebu  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
Vasayas  group  of  the  Philippines.  It  hoisted  the  American  flag  on  Wash- 
ington's birthday,  February  22d.  A  battalion  of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry 
was  sent  by  General  Otis  to  uphold  the  authority  of  our  government. 

On  February  2 1st  there  was  great  excitement  throughout  the  city  of 
Manila.  Three  fires  were  started  by  the  insurgents  at  Santa  Cruz,  Tondo  and 
the  Binondo  Market.  The  latter  fire  worked  its  way  toward  the  wharves. 
The  natives  cut  the  hose.  One  thousand  native  houses  and  hundreds  of 
business  places  were  burned.  The  refugees  thronged  the  streets  with  their 
rescued  property.  The  houses  fired  were  marked  with  red. 

An  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  loss  by  fires  in  the  suburbs  of  Manila  may 
be  obtained  from  the  figures  herewith  given : — Sixty  buildings  of  stone  and 
150  substantial  wooden  structures  with  iron  roofs  were  destroyed.  In  addi- 
tion 8,000  nipa  houses  of  the  natives  were  burned. 

General  Hughes  appeared  promptly  on  the  scene,  and  it  was  his  energetic 
tmeasures,  without  doubt,  that  stopped  a  general  uprising.  The  troops,  with 
the  American  and  English  residents,  were  immediately  detailed  as  fire  brig- 
ades, preventing  the  spread  of  the  flames  to  the  business  quarter. 

Three  hundred  houses  were  burned  (in  this  district  of  the  city),  chiefly 
native  and  Chinese.  While  these  events  were  in  progress  three  fires  were 
simultaneously  started  in  the  Tondo  and  Binondo  districts  of  the  city,  and,  as 
already  stated,  more  than  a  thousand  houses  were  b 


304  CAPTURE  OF  PASIG  AND   PATEROS. 

On  March  loth  Major  General  Lawton  and  1,700  regular  troops  arrived 
at  Manila.  General  Lawton  immediately  took  command  of  our  land  forces, 
and  it  was  understood  that  he  would  at  once  inaugurate  an  aggressive  cam- 
paign for  the  purpose  of  driving  back  the  insurgents,  and  affording  security 
to  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  Manila  and  the  surrounding  country. 

The  flying  column  under  General  Wheaton  started  the  aggressive  cam-! 
paign  against  the  insurgents  on  the  morning  of  the  I3th.  The  line  consisted 
of  three  troops  of  the  Fourth  cavalry  on  the  extreme  right,  and  next  in  their 
order  the  Twenty-second  infantry,  the  Twentieth  infantry,  the  Oregon  volun- 
teers, and  the  Washington  volunteers.  The  latter,  who  were  on  the  extreme 
left,  were  opposite  Guadaloupe  on  the  river. 

Cannon  Boomed  Out  the  Signal  for  Advance. 

A  lieutenant  of  Scott's  battery  fired  the  signal  gun  at  five  minutes  of 
seven  o'clock,  and  at  once  the  Fourth  cavalry,  mounted,  swung  forward. 
Then  all  the  infantry  regiments,  formed  in  three  lines,  left  their  trenches  and 
moved  on  the  enemy.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  this  clock-like  regularity  of 
the  advance.  The  cavalry  met  a  heavy  fire  on  the  right.  The  men  dis- 
mounted and  drove  the  enemy  out  of  their  intrenchments. 

General  Lloyd  Wheaton,  commanding  the  United  States  flying  column, 
attacked  and  defeated  a  force  of  3,000  Filipinos  at  Pasig,  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  1 5th,  inflicting  a  heavy  loss  upon  them.  The  American  loss  was  slight. 
The  Americans  captured  many  Filipinos.  Many  bodies  of  rebels  killed  in  the 
engagement  were  seen  floating  down  the  river. 

The  Washington  volunteers  captured  and  burned  Pateros,  meeting  with 
a  sharp  fire  from  the  enemy  while  crossing  the  river.  The  day's  fighting  was 
like  that  of  the  preceding  week,  the  insurgents  occasionally  making  a  stand, 
but  eventually  fleeing. 

General  Wheaton's  column  advanced  beyond  Pasig  to  the  shore  of 
Laguna  de  Bay,  sweeping  everything  before  it  The  enemy  made  a  running 
fight  and  suffered  a  severe  loss. 

The  rebels'  avenue  of  communication  north  and  south  was  closed,  the 
American  cordon  stretching  over  a  mile  from  the  river  to  the  lake.  The 
rebels  were  in  force  at  Pateros  and  Taguig.  At  about  eight  o  clock  the 
Twenty-second  regular  infantry  advanced  until  it  encountered  a  number  of 
trolleys.  This  fire  was  returned  with  interest.  The  strongly  fortified  village 
of  Gaitai  was  captured  after  a  desperate  fight  by  the  Twentieth  regular  in- 
fantry. 

There  was  much  satisfaction  in  the  War  Department  at  Washington 
over  the  receipt  of  this  cablegram  from  Major  General  Otis; 


CAPTURE  OF   PASIG  AND    PATEROS.  305 

MANILA,  March  15,  1899. 
ADJUTANT  GENERAL,  Washington : 

Three  thousand  insurgents  moved  down  last  night  to  towns  of  Pasig  and 
Vateros,  on  shore  Laguna  de  Bay,  fronting  Wheaton's  troops  on  Pasig  River 
I'm*.  By  heavy  fighting  Wheaton  has  dislodged  and  driven  them  back,  taking 
foui,  hundred  prisoners  and  inflicting  heavy  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  He 
^reports  his  loss  as  very  moderate.  He  now  occupies  those  towns  with  suffi- 
cient force  to  hold  them.  OTIS. 

Tlw  'nformation  given  by  General  Otis  was  just  what  the  War  Depart* 
ment  was  expecting  to  hear  from  him.  It  indicated  that  he  was  vigorously 
carrying  c>ot  his  plan  of  dividing  Aguinaldo's  forces  and  crushing  them  wher- 
ever they  could  be  found.  It  was  expected  that  the  advantages  gained  would 
be  vigorously  followed  up  until  Aguinaldo  was  forced  to  surrender  uncondi- 
tionally. The  exploits  of  our  brave  soldiers  and  sailors  have  called  forth  many 
tributes  in  verse,  among  which  the  following  deserves  a  conspicuous  place : 

O  Tis  Dewey. 

Who  rules  our  ships  and  gives  command  ? 
Who  leads  our  soldiers  on  the  land  ? 
What  heroes  brave  the  battle's  din, 
Assail  the  foe  and  victory  win? 
Otis-Dewey. 

Who  watch  and  guard  Manila  Bay, 
Each  moment  ready  for  the  fray  ? 
Who  bid  the  Yankees  sweep  the  field 
Where  fierce  insurgents  are  concealed  ? 
Otis-Dewey. 

Who  pour  hot  shot  in  rebel  ranks, 
And  stop  that  Aguinaldo's  pranks  ? 
Charge  on  his  hordes  with  sword  and  gun, 
And  like  scared  rabbits  make  them  run  ? 
Otis  Dewey. 

Who  wave  "  Old  Glory  "  at  Manila, 
O'er  poor  man's  hut  and  rich  man's  villa  ? 
Who  send  to  Washington  report 
That  night  and  day  they  "hold  the  fort?*' 
Otis-Dewey. 

What  Admiral  across  the  seas 
His  four-starred  flag  flies  in  the  breeze, 
Defends  with  pride  his  country's  fame, 
And  makes  himself  a  glorious  name  ? 

O  'tis  Dewey. 
20-D 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
Brilliant  Achievements  of  the  American  Army. 


HE  fighting  continued  near  Manila,  the  object  of  the  American  troops 
being  to  rout  the  insurgents,  and  by  one  blow  end  their  rebellion. 
The  following  despatch,  under  date  of  March  26th,  reported  the 
steady  advance  of  our  forces  : 
"  MacArthur  has  advanced  two  miles  beyond  Polo,  nine  miles  from 
Manila,  and  fifteen  miles  from  Malolos.  Insurgents  stoutly  resisting  behind 
succeeding  lines  of  intrenchments,  from  which  troops  continually  drove  them. 
City  perfectly  quiet,  and  native  inhabitants  appear  to  be  relieved  of  anxiety 
and  fear  of  insurgents.  OTIS." 

From  detailed  accounts  of  the  fighting  it  appears  that  at  daybreak  Mac- 
Arthur  dashed  beyond  Polo  and  to  the  north-east,  and  captured  Meicauayan. 
This  place  is  two  miles  beyond  Polo.  It  was  not  taken  without  a  fight.  The 
insurgents  left  detachments  in  all  the  trenches  to  delay  the  advance.  Meicau- 
ayan is  at  the  base  of  the  rough  hills  and  the  jungle. 

Fresh  Troops  Rushed  Forward. 

The  road  forward  is  in  clear  ground.  The  railroad  over  the  conquered 
country  to  the  rear  was  repaired  and  fresh  troops  were  rushed  forward. 
Among  those  who  fell  at  taking  of  Meicauayan  was  Captain  Krayenbuh,  com- 
missary lieutenant  of  the  Third  Artillery.  He  was  mortally  wounded. 

Malabon  was  burned  by  the  insurgents,  and  the  5000  rebels  who  consti- 
tuted its  garrison  retreated  to  rejoin  Aguinaldo's  main  column  of  insurgents 
at  Malolos.  The  town  of  Malinta,  beyond  the  Tuliahan  river,  \vas  taken  by 
General  Wheaton's  division.  The  fighting  was  sharp  all  day,  and  the  battle- 
field was  carpeted  with  the  insurgent  dead.  Our  own  losses  were  compara- 
tively slight,  though  among  our  dead  was  Colonel  Harry  C.  Egbert,  a  hero 
of  two  wars. 

The  plan  to  cut  off  the  5000  insurgents  in  Malolos  failed  by  reason  o{ 
the  roughness  of  the  ground  and  the  thickness  of  the  jungle,  which  prevented 
General  MacArthur  from  getting  far  enough  around  to  the  north  of  Polo  to 
shut  the  enemy  in.  We  had  to  be  content  with  a  victory  consisting  of  our 
having  driven  the  enemy  from  his  position.  The  victory  in  this  light  was  a 
sweeping  one.  The  insurgents,  though  beset  with  cavalry,  infantry  and  artil- 
lery, volunteers  and  regulars,  fought  desperately  in  their  trenches.  There 

were  engaged  the  Fourth,  Twenty-second  and  Twenty-third  Infantry,  the  Utah 
306 


BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA.  o07 

Troop,  the  Third  Artillery  and  the  Oregon  troops.    These  were  stretched  out 
along  the  railroad  from  Caloocan  to  the  Tuliahan  river. 

The  rebels  destroyed  the  bridge  over  the  river,  and  on  the  further  side 
made  their  stand.  While  the  engineers  were  trying  to  replace  the  bridge  on 
the  iron  girders  the  Second  Oregon  Regiment  dashed  across  the  river,  wading 
and  swimming. 

The  Twenty-second  and  four  companies  of  the  Twenty- third  gained  the 
west  bank  of  the  Tuliahan  about  the  same  time.  This  brought  them  exactly 
opposite  Malinta.  From  the  river  where  the  American  troops  struggled  up 
the  bank  there  is  a  steady  rise  of  half  a  mile  to  the  village,  which  crowns  the 
hills.  The  crest  of  the  rise  was  torn  up  entrenchments,  and,  with  their  eyes 
fixed  on  these,  the  Americans  moved  steadily  forward.  The  light  artillery 
began  to  throw  up  the  brown  earth.  The  target  work  was  perfect,  but  no 
Filipino  showed  himself  and  the  troops  could  not  tell  how  much  damage  was 
being  done. 

The  rebels  had  profited  by  the  lessons  we  had  taught  them.  They 
reserved  their  fire  until  our  troops  were  within  300  yards.  The  Twenty- 
second  was  in  the  advance  when  the  seemingly  dead  trenches  came  to  life 
with  a  fringe  of  fire.  With  Colonel  Egbert  at  the  head  the  Twenty-second 
dashed  at  the  entrenchments.  The  Oregon  and  Kansas-  troops,  at  the  right 
and  left  respectively,  were  fighting  with  equal  gallantry,  but  they  were  in  the 
woods  and  made  no  spectacle  as  fine  as  that  furnished  by  the  advance  of  the 
Twenty-second.  In  the  middle  of  the  charge  Colonel  Egbert  fell  forward  on 
his  saddle,  shot  through  the  abdomen. 

Death  of  Colonel  Egbert. 

Close  behind  him,  struggling  through  the  grass,  regardless  of  the  hot 
fire,  came  General  Wheaton  and  his  staff.  They  bore  the  litter  with  the 
mortally  wounded  Colonel  back  past  the  General,  who  bared  his  head  and 
gave  a  soldier's  greeting  to  the  dying  officer. 

"  It  was  done  nobly,"  said  the  General. 

"  I  am  done  for ;  I  am  too  old,"  gasped  Egbert.  He  was  dead  before 
they  got  him  to  the  rear. 

The  charge  swept  on  until  three  lines  of  trenches  had  been  taken  and 
thirty  of  our  men  were  down,  killed  or  wounded.  Despite  the  new  con- 
servatism of  the  insurgents  that  led  them  to  hold  their  fire  and  to  shoot  low 
they  did  not  wait  for  our  troops. 

The  trenches  were  empty  when  the  men  of  the  Twenty-second  piled  into 
them.  While  they  were  gasping  there  from  the  heat  and  the  dead  and 
wounded  were  being  brought  in  to  the  shade  of  the  trees  to  be  carried  across 


308  BATTLES   AROUND   MANILA. 

the  river  by  the  Chinese  stretcher-bearers,  Mac  Arthur's  advance  guard — the 
Third  Artillery  and  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Regiment — joined  Wheaton. 

The  advance  to  Malinta  was  made  over  the  Nivaliches  Rial.  Rale's 
command  in  the  flank  movement  of  MacArthur's  division  surprised  the  insur- 
gents in  the  northern  trenches.  The  Filipinos  fled  along  the  railroad,  burn- 
ing rice  mills,  tearing  up  the  tracks  and  obstructing  all  they  knew  how. 
They  finally  took  refuge  in  the  church  at  Malinta,  where  they  made  a  stand. 
The  American  troops  were  coming  on  the  run,  however,  and  Malinta  was 
taken  by  assault,  the  rebels  continuing  to  retreat  toward  Polo,  destroying  as 
they  went.  As  they  fell  back  the  insurgents  broke  up  into  comparatively 
small  bodies,  so  the  day's  fighting  was  really  a  series  of  small  battles. 

Flight  of  the  Insurgents  Toward  Malolos. 

The  Second  Oregon  found  its  work  cut  out  for  it  by  1000  Philipinos 
west  of  Malinta.  These  came  from  Malabon,  and  manned  four  rows  of 
entrenchments.  They  did  not  shoot  as  well  as  the  crowd  that  faced 
Wheaton,  and  abandoned  their  trenches  within  an  hour.  The  Third  Ar- 
tillery, with  two  guns  from  Utah,  and  supported  by  the  Kansas  troops, 
also  came  against  some  of  the  entrenched  rebels.  The  American  losses 
were  confined  to  a1  few  wounded. 

General  MacArthur's  division  advanced  along  the  torn-up  railroad 
toward  Malabon.  Ahead  of  them  could  be  seen  the  black  smoke  rising 
from  the  burning  town.  The  insurgents  realized  that  they  could  not  hold 
Malabon,  and  alarmed  at  the  narrow  escape  they  had  from  being  caught 
in  it,  as  in  a  trap,  they  fled  back  toward  Malolos  as  fast  as  they  could  go 

The  day's  action  was  beautifully  conducted.  When  Wheaton's  bri- 
gade was  wading  the  river  the  insurgent  bullets  were  churning  and  spat- 
tering the  water  in  their  faces.  Our  soldiers  dashed  up  the  north  bank 
dripping,  and  without  stopping  to  shake  the  water  from  them,  swept  on 
over  the  ridge  and  into  the  rebel  entrenchments.  In  the  midst  of  it 
all  came  volley  after  volley  from  the  left.  And  as  suddenly  as  if  it  had 
been  a  battle  on  the  stage,  MacArthur's  right  wing  appeared  over  the  hill, 
cheering  wildly. 

Their  sudden  appearance  was  too  much  for  the  insurgents.  They 
threw  down  their  rifles  and  ran.  The  American  forces,  in  a  great  triangle, 
rushed  after  them,  and  the  slaughter  among  the  fleeing  natives  was  ter- 
rific. It  was  a  magnificent  picture  of  war,  with  the  Fourth  Cavalry  gal- 
loping along  the  crest  of  the  farthest  hills  shooting  as  they  rode.  Can- 
non, carbine  and  rifles  were  all  belching  forth  death,  and  the  smoke 
framed  it  all. 


BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA.  309 

The  American  army  advanced  at  6  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  29th, 
sweeping  onward  three  miles  before  10  o'clock,  and  driving  the  insurgents 
beyond  Bocave,  to  the  east  of  Bulacan  and  on  the  railroad  leading  to  Malolos» 
Our  troops  met  with  but  slight  resistance.  The  Filipinos  fired  volleys  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  the  American  fire  and  disclosing  the  locality  of  our  posi- 
tions. Two  men  of  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  and  one  man  belonging  to 
the  Dakota  regiment  were  wounded.  The  Americans  remained  silent. 

Looked  as  if  Swept  by  a  Cyclone. 

The  country  between  Marilao  and  Manila  presented  a  picture  of  desola- 
tion. Smoke  curled  from  hundreds  of  ash  heaps,  and  the  remains  of  trees 
and  fences  torn  by  shrapnel  were  to  be  seen  everywhere.  The  general  appear- 
ance of  the  country  was  as  if  it  had  been  swept  by  a  cyclone.  The  roads 
were  strewn  with  furniture  and  clothing  dropped  in  flight  by  the  Filipinos. 
The  only  persons  remaining  behind  were  a  few  aged  persons  too  infirm  to 
escape.  They  camped  beside  the  ruins  of  their  former  homes  and  begged 
passers-by  for  any  kind  of  assistance.  The  majority  of  them  were  living  on 
the  generosity  of  our  soldiers,  who  gave  them  portions  of  their  rations.  The 
dogs  of  the  Filipinos  cowered  in  the  bushes,  still  terrified  and  barking,  while 
hundreds  of  pigs  were  to  be  seen  busily  searching  for  food. 

Bodies  of  dead  Filipinos  were  stranded  in  the  shallows  of  the  river,  or 
were  resting  in  the  jungle  where  they  crawled  to  die,  or  were  left  in  the  wake 
of  the  hurriedly  retreating  army.  These  bodies  gave  forth  a  horrible  odor, 
but  there  was  no  time  to  bury  them. 

The  inhabitants  who  fled  from  Marilao  and  Meycauayan  left  in  such 
a  panic  that  on  tables  our  soldiers  found  spread  money  and  valuables,  and 
in  the  rooms  were  trunks  containing  other  property  of  value.  This  was 
the  case  in  most  of  the  houses  deserted.  They  were  not  molested  by  our 
soldiers,  but  the  Chinese  who  slipped  in  between  the  armies  were  looting 
when  they  could,  and  took  possession  of  several  houses,  over  which  they 
raised  Chinese  flags,  some  of  which  were  torn  down.  An  old  woman  was 
found  hidden  in  a  house  at  Meycauayan  yesterday  just  dead,  apparently  from 
fright  and  hunger. 

Malolos,  the  insurgent  capital,  was  captured  on  the  morning  of  March 
3 1st  by  the  American  troops,  after  a  hot  fight.  The  final  advance  began 
before  daylight.  After  eating  a  good  breakfast  the  troops  started  from  their 
former  line  in  the  following  order,  extending  from  left  to  right : 

Third  United  States  Artillery ;  Montana  Volunteers ;  Kansas  Volun- 
teers ;  Tenth  Pennsylvania ;  South  Dakota  Volunteers ;  Nebraska  Volun- 
teers ;  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry. 


310  BATTLES  AROUND    MANILA. 

Shortly  before  3  o'clock  the  army  began  its  cautious  advance,  meeting 
Almost  immediately  with  a  heavy  fire  on  the  right.  The  troops  advanced 
regardless  of  the  rain  of  bullets,  driving  the  insurgents  from  their  trenches 
into  the  thickets.  The  army  then  advanced  two  miles  and  discovered  an 
insurgent  outpost  strongly  intrenched.  The  natives  came  forward  flying  a 
white  flag  and  asked  for  mercy.  They  assured  our  troops  that  they  were 
unarmed,  but  when  they  returned  to  their  trenches  they  immediately  openec^ 
a  sharp  fire  on  our  lines,  which  was  soon  silenced. 

Major  General  Mac  Arthur  entered  Malolos,  the  seat  of  the  so-called 
insurgent  government,  at  half-past  nine  in  the  morning,  the  rebels  burning 
the  city  and  simultaneously  evacuating  it.  The  American  soldiers  went 
yelling  down  the  street  toward  the  principal  square.  Several  ineffective  shots 
greeted  them  from  a  stone  barricade  at  the  head  of  the  street,  but  the  troops 
rushed  on,  the  insurgents  fleeing. 

The  city  was  found  to  be  burning,  but  the  troops  speedily  took  posses- 
sion of  it.  Terrible  confusion  prevailed.  The  Chinese  were  flocking  back 
into  the  city ;  the  terrified  insurgents  were  firing  parting  volleys  as  they  re- 
treated, and  the  troops  were  returning  the  fire. 

A  Brilliant  Campaign. 

The  service  of  our  troops  in  the  Philippines  was  such  as  to  cause  every 
American  heart  to  swell  with  pride.  There  was  not  one  act  of  cowardice  nor 
a  step  of  retreat,  and  good  generalship  was  supported  by  a  soldiery  whose 
courage,  patience  and  fighting  would  make  the  honor  page  of  any  country 
stand  more  gloriously  forth  in  its  history. 

The  campaign  in  the  East  had,  hov/ever,  peculiar  qualities  which  com- 
mended those  engaged  in  it  to  the  hearts  of  their  countrymen.  It  was  fought 
chiefly  by  the  citizen  soldiers,  the  regiments  of  the  National  Guard,  not  one  of 
whom  had  until  within  a  few  months  seen  a  shot  fired  in  battle,  and  they  all 
conducted  themselves  with  the  precision  of  regular  troops  and  of  veterans. 

The  regiments  furnished  by  their  respective  States  were  volunteers,  the 
boys  from  the  plow,  the  clerks  from  the  store,  and  officers  who  had  only  until 
within  less  than  a  year  looked  upon  soldiery  as  a  'military  picnic,  a  playtime 
period  for  armory  drills  and  dances,  a  matter  of  uniform  and  flirtation.  But 
back  of  this  existed  the  real  soldier's  spirits,  the  fighting  capacity  which 
belonged  to  the  Old  Guard,  the  armies  of  Marlborough,  Cromwell  and  Fred- 
erick the  Great.  Being  called  upon  to  exhibit  it  they  responded  with  such 
splendid  courage  that  the  nation  which  sent  them  forth  began  to  realize  the 
potentiality  of  the  race  and  to  know  that  it  is  a  people  of  strength  in  war  as 
in  the  other  channels  through  which  it  has  attained  grandeur. 


BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA.  311 

The  next  event  of  importance  in  the  Philippines  after  the  downfall  of 
Malolos  was  the  capture  of  Santa  Cruz,  on  Laguna  de  Bay,  by  General  Law- 
ton's  forces  on  the  morning  of  April  loth.  This  was  done  after  a  sharp  en- 
gagement with  the  rebel  defenders,  who  were  commanded  by  Pac-Wah,  a 
Chinaman, 

General  i^awton's  expedition  left  San  Pedro  Macati  at  dusk  on  Saturday, 
intending  to  attack  Santa  Cruz  at  daybreak  Sunday,  but  in  navigating  the 
tortuous  Pasig  River,  perhaps  through  the  cunning  of  the  native  pilots,  several 
boats  grounded,  and  it  was  nearly  dawn  when  the  troops  reached  the  lake. 
The  expedition  then  steamed  cautiously  forward,  the  Napidan  and  the  Oeste 
ahead,  the  Laguna  de  Bay  guarding  the  rear.  Rebel  signal  fires  were  lighted 
on  the  mountain  tops,  giving  warning  of  their  approach. 

It  was  noon  before  the  white  church  towers  of  Santa  Cruz  appeared  in 
the  shadow  of  a  great  volcanic  mountain  on  a  marshy  plain,  dotted  with  occa- 
sional palm  groves. 

A  casco,  bearing  two  hundred  picked  sharpshooters,  under  Major  Wei- 
senberger,  mostly  of  the  First  Washington  regiment,  was  run  into  a  shallow 
inlet  about  five  miles  south  of  the  city.  A  few  shells  were  sent  towards  the 
intrenchments  of  the  rebels  at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  sending  the  enemy 
scampering  inland.  The  Americans  then  landed.  Three  troops  of  the 
Fourth  Cavalry,  unmounted,  were  also  put  ashore  on  a  marshy  point,  south 
of  the  city,  under  fire  from  the  enemy's  trenches. 

General  Lawton  Reconnoitres. 

Meanwhile  in  the  town  itself  there  were  utter  silence  and  no  signs  of 
life.  General  Lawton,  wishing  to  make  an  inspection,  went  on  board  the 
Laguna  de  Bay,  and,  accompanied  by  a  launch,  steamed  slowly  to  the  dock, 
the  expedition  watching  anxiously.  When  it  was  discovered  by  the  glasses 
that  the  trenches  and  slone  buildings  were  swarming  with  white  clad  soldiers, 
the  boats  withdrew,  receiving  volleys  from  the  trenches  thrown  up  on  a 
marshy  plain  north  of  the  city. 

The  boats  anchored  in  compact  formation  for  the  night,  ready  to  resist 
any  surprise  from  rebel  gunboats,  supposed  to  be  in  the  lake.  At  about 
sunrise  the  assault  began.  The  American  line  south  of  the  city  stretched  two 
miles  inland,  and,  with  its  left  sweeping  the  shore,  it  moved  north,  while  the 
Fourth  cavalrymen  advanced  toward  the  city  from  the  north,  pouring  volleys 
upon  the  trenches.  Simultaneously  the  gunboats  hovered  along  the  shore, 
shelling  the  woods  ahead  of  the  troops.  The  Gatling  cleared  several  trenches. 

The  whole  brigade  was  divided  into  squads  of  twelve,  and  the  fighting 
was  carried  on  in  frontier  fashion,  from  behind  trees,  crawling  through  bushes 


312  BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA. 

or  rushing  across  the  open.  The  trenches  gave  considerable  resistance  when 
the  line  was  nearing  the  city,  and  although  the  Laguna  de  Bay  and  Oeste 
bombarded  for  an  hour  they  did  not  succeed  in  clearing  them  entirely. 

General  Lawton,  with  the  Fourteenth  infantry  battalions,  approached  a 
narrow  iron  bridge  across  a  creek  south  of  the  town.  Here  a  company  of 
Filipinos  was  intrenched  behind  a  stone  barricade  at  the  bridge  entrance.  The 
Americans  rushed  forward  in  single  file,  in  the  face  of  a  galling  fire,  demol- 
ished the  barricade  with  their  hands  and  drove  out  the  enemy,  killing  a  dozen. 

Fought  from  House  to  House. 

The  Filipino  soldiers  in  the  town,  secreted  in  buildings  and  firing  from 
the  windows,  gave  the  invaders  constant  annoyance.  There  was  a  regulaf 
nest  of  them  in  the  stone  jail.  The  Americans  singly  or  in  pairs  entered  the 
houses,  and  took  many  warriors  prisoners. 

A  considerable  body  of  Filipinos  fled  northward  over  the  open  marshes, 
but  the  Gatlings  poured  upon  them  a  deadly  hail.  Major  Weisenberger  de- 
ployed the  sharpshooters  along  the  shore,  and  they  crept  steadily  forward, 
aiding  the  Gatlings.  Finally  a  large  body  was  sent  against  the  enemy,  driv- 
ing them  into  the  mountains. 

General  Lawton  promptly  established  headquarters  at  the  fine  palace  oi 
the  Governor.  A  guard  was  placed  in  the  church,  and  within  an  hour  the 
town  was  under  patrol.  Almost  all  the  inhabitants  had  fled,  and  only  a  few 
Chinese  shopkeepers  emerged  from  hiding  and  resumed  business.  On  the 
marshes  north  of  the  town  were  found  forty  dead  Filipinos  and  many 
wounded,  to  whom  the  Americans  offered  their  canteens  as  if  they  were 
comrades. 

Later  in  the  day  Lawton's  flying  column  captured  Pagsajan,  and  the 
insurgents  fled,  after  which  his  unresisted  column  descended  the  Lumbang 
river  and  found  the  insurgents  assembled  in  some  force  at  the  village  of  Lum- 
bang, which  commands  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  latter  was  effectively 
obstructed  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  gunboats.  The  Laguna  shelled  the 
shore  from  the  lake,  driving  the  main  force  of  the  insurgents  out.  Only  a 
small  number  remained  within  an  old  church  to  oppose  the  troops.  These 
maintained  a  steady  fire  until  rushed  by  the  land  force. 

On  the  same  date  there  was  an  offensive  outbreak  of  the  Filipinos,  when 
an  attack  was  made  on  MacArthur's  men,  who  were  guarding  the  railroad 
line  between  Malolos  and  Manila.  The  rebels  massed  at  Bocave  and  Marilao 
The  attack  was  repulsed,  but  five  American  soldiers  were  killed  and  fourteen 
wounded.  Many  insurgents  were  slain.  General  Lawton's  victory  at  Santa 
Ouz  was  more  sweeping  than  at  first  supposed. 


BATTLES   AROUND   MANILA. 

A  furious  battle  was  fought  between  the  Americans  and  Filipinos  on 
April  23d.  The  scene  of  the  battle  was  Quingan,  five  miles  northeast  of 
Malolos.  Major  Bell,  of  the  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry,  was  ordered  to 
make  a  reconnoissance  in  order  to  develop  the  strength  of  the  insurgents.  He 
took  Lieutenant  Rutherford  and  sixty-one  men  of  die  Fourth  Cavalry.  At 
daybreak  this  little  body  of  Americans  reached  the  insurgent  position.  Major 
Bell  and  Lieutenant  Rutherford,  with  five  men,  went  ahead  of  the  rest  of  the 
reconnoitering  party.  The  insurgents  saw  them,  but  withheld  their  fire,  evi- 
dently expecting  that  the  remainder  of  the  company  would  soon  come  within 

range. 

The  Insurgents  Open  Fire. 

Tvlaior  Bell's  orders  from  General  MacArthur  explicitly  instructed  him  to 
ascertain  the  strength  of  the  enemy.  The  remainder  of  the  cavalry  was 
advanced.  As  soon  as  the  little  command  came  within  range  the  insurgents 
opened  with  a  hot  fire.  One  American  soldier  was  killed  and  five  wounded 
by  the  first  volley. 

Major  Bell  immediately  sent  for  reinforcements.  The  cavalry  held  its 
ground  bravely.  The  insurgents  fought  like  demons.  The  Filipinos  sent 
canoe  loads  of  soldiers  down  the  river.  These  landed  on  both  the  right  and 
left  sides  of  the  American  soldiers,  surrounding  them  on  three  sides.  They 
were  forced  back,  but  they  fought  hard  for  every  inch  of  ground  which  they 
gave  to  the  rebels. 

The  Filipinos  followed  up  their  advantage.  They  had  driven  Major  Bell 
and  his  men  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Quingan,  when  Major 
Morford,  with  a  battalion  of  the  First  Nebraska  Volunteers,  hastened  up  to 
the  assistance  of  the  retreating  cavalrymen.  Instead  of  the  new  troops  chang- 
ing the  tide  of  battle  and  causing  the  Filipinos  to  retreat,  the  insurgents  held 
their  ground  and  fought  more  savagely.  The  battle  was  fought  in  a  fog, 
which  enabled  the  enemy  to  keep  close  to  the  Americans  without  being 
seen. 

Next  two  companies  of  the  Iowa  Regiment  advanced  to  the  fighting  line, 
but  later  they  were  withdrawn,  being  on  guard  duty.  The  rest  of  the  Ne- 
braska Regiment  next  came  up.  General  Hale  arrived  shortly  afterward  with 
the  rest  of  the  lowans.  The  Americans  were  ordered  forward  to  take  the 
positions  which  the  insurgents  were  holding. 

Just  as  the  forward  movement  began  Colonel  Stotsenberg  came  dashing 
up  and  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  He  had  just  returned  to 
Malolos  from  Manila,  where  he  had  been  visiting  his  wife.  He  heard  of  the 
battle,  rushed  to  Quingan  and  reached  his  men  in  time  to  lead  them  in  the 
storming  of  the  insurgent  trenches.  During  this  charge  in  the  withering  hatf 


314  BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA. 

of  bullets  Colonel   Stotsenberg  was  shot.     An   insurgent   bullet  pierced  his 
heart.     He  dropped  dead  within  a  few  yards  of  the  trenches. 

Three  guns  from  the  Utah  Artillery  reached  the  fighting  ground  just  as 
the  Nebraskans  were  making  their  charge.  Their  advance,  assisted  by  the 
shells  from  the  artillery,  broke  the  resistance  of  the  insurgents,  and  after  half 
an  hour  more  of  fighting  they  were  driven  from  Quingan.  The  village  was 
occupied  by  the  Americans. 

Total  American  Loss. 

Of  the  members  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  which  came  up  with  General 
Hale  three  were  killed  and  five  wounded.  Five  men  were  killed  in  the 
Nebraska  regiment,  including  Colonel  Stotsenberg  and  Lieutenant  Sisson, 
and  over  thirty  wounded.  Several  members  of  the  Iowa  troops  were  wounded. 
The  total  American  loss  was  eight  killed  and  forty  three  wounded.  Fifteen 
dead  Filipinos  were  found  in  the  trenches,  but  it  is  not  believed  they  suffered 
heavily,  as  they  were  protected  during  most  of  the  battle. 

Major  Bell's  horse  was  shot  from  beneath  him.  The  bullet  passed 
through  Major  Bell's  legging.  Major  Mallory's  horse  also  was  killed.  Lieu- 
tenant Sisson,  of  the  Nebraskans,  was  found  to  have  been  shot,  like  his  com- 
manding officer,  through  the  heart.  The  members  of  the  Nebraska  Regiment 
were  overwhelmed  with  grief  over  the  loss  of  their  colonel.  Colonel  Stotsen- 
berg was  noted  as  an  absolutely  fearless  officer  and  brave  commander.  The 
Nebraska  soldiers  felt  that  their  loss  was  irreparable. 

Filipinos  Driven  from  their  Position. 

The  American  forces,  after  a  series  of  brilliant  and  daring  forward  move- 
ments, took  and  occupied  the  village  of  Calumpit  April  25th.  The  Filipinos 
set  fire  to  the  town  before  they  left,  and  the  Americans  found  the  houses 
burning  when  they  dashed  up  the  village  streets  after  the  fleeing  insurgents. 
The  Americans  first  drove  the  Filipinos  from  their  position  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Bagdag  river.  The  defenses  at  this  point  were  strong  and  the  enemy 
was  found  well  intrenched  and  desperately  eager  to  check  the  American 
advance,  for  three  intrenchments  formed  the  sole  defence  with  which  the  Fili- 
pinos had  guarded  the  southern  approach  to  Calumpit.  The  village  lies  on^i 
mile  beyond  these  fortifications  taken  by  our  men.  It  occupies  a  position  oo 
the  southern  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande.  After  the  fortifications  had  been  taken 
the  Americans  steadily  and  pluckily  advanced  and  took  possession  of  Cal- 
umpit. 

The  Filipinos  had  made  elaborate  preparations  to  check  the  advance  of 
tV  Americans  at  the  fortification  on  the  Bagdag  river.  Thfr  bamboo 


BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA.  315 

growth  which  fronted  the  defenses  had  been  cut  away,  so  that  the  enemy  had 
a  clean  sweep  for  their  fire  and  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  American 
approach.  The  defenses  were  very  strong. 

General  Hale  began  his  advance  toward  Calumpit  down  the  north  bank 
of  the  river,  which  he  crossed  at  Quigua,  after  a  hard  fight  with  the  insurgents. 
He  had  been  instructed  to  move  on  to  Calumpit  from  the  east,  while  General 
Mac  Arthur  stood  ready  to  send  a  column  of  troops  north  from  Malolos  on 
the  railroad  when  he  received  word  that  General  Hale's  troops  had  reached  a 
point  near  Calumpit.  In  carrying  out  his  part  of  the  plan  General  Hale  met 
a  stubborn,  and,  at  times,  desperate  opposition  from  the  Filipinos.  In  charg- 
ing the  enemy's  intrenchments  our  troops  lost  six  men.  Eleven  were 
wounded. 

In  return  our  men  inflicted  heavy  losses  upon  the  insurgents,  for  it  is 
believed  that  150  of  the  Filipinos  were  killed  at  one  point.  At  another  point 
our  men  surrounded  thirty-eight  insurgents  who  refused  to  surrender,  and 
continued  firing  until  the  last  one  was  killed. 

Sharp  Firing  by  Our  Machine  Guns. 

At  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  General  MiicArthur,  who  was  at  Malolos, 
received  advices  that  everything  was  ready  for  the  advance  up  the  railroad 
toward  Calumpit,  and  he  ordered  General  Wheaton  to  load  his  brigade  on 
the  train  and  proceed  northward.  The  armored  cars  of  the  train  were  filled 
with  men  of  Wheaton's  brigade  and  the  moving  fort  steamed  north,  approach- 
ing within  1,500  yards  of  the  insurgent  intrenchments. 

The  Filipinos  were  busy  watching  the  advance  of  Hale's  flanking 
column.  When  the  ironclad  train  reached  a  point  on  the  tracks  about  1,500 
yards  from  the  enemy  the  rapid-fire  guns  of  the  Americans  began  playing  on 
the  entrenched  insurgents.  The  centre  of  fire  was  the  breastworks  on  the  north 
branch  of  the  river  and  the  machine  guns  were  used  with  good  effect  With 
the  machine  guns  hurling  shot,  the  train  was  pushed  forward  steadily  until  it 
was  well  within  500  yards  of  the  insurgents'  firing  line.  The  enemy  con- 
centrated their  fire  from  the  right  upon  the  train. 

Under  this  hot  cross  fire  General  Wheaton's  men  left  the  train  and  rushed 
forward,  under  an  increasing  fire.  The  insurgents  had  partially  destroyed 
the  bridge  across  the  river,  and  the  Americans  rushed  over  the  partly  de- 
molished structure,  jumping  into  the  river  and  swimming  the  rest  of  the  way. 
When  the  Americans  reached  the  shore  the  insurgents  fell  back  in  goo^ 
order,  maintaining  a  galling  fire  during  the  retreat.  The  Americans  took 
possession  of  the  works  of  the  enemy  and  immediately  General  MacArthur 
ordered  General  Hale  to  the  north  to  make  a  reconnoissance  in  force. 


316  BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA. 

The  fighting  around  Calumpit  was  resumed  in  the  morning  of  April  26tb' 
at  6  o  clock.  For  the  first  time  the  Filipinos  employed  artillery.  They 
brought  two  guns  into  action  in  the  trenches  before  Calumpit,  firing  modern 
shrapnel,  which  burst  over  the  heads  of  General  Wheaton's  men  without 
effect.  General  Wheaton's  brigade  advanced  in  extended  order,  with  the 
Kansas  Regiment  to  the  west  of  the  railroad,  and  the  Montana  Regiment  to 
the  east  of  it,  and  took  up  a  position  covering  one  and  a  half  miles  on  the 
•south  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande.  On  the  opposite  bank  were  fortified  trenches, 
from  which  a  few  American  soldiers  would  have  been  able  to  defy  thousands, 
so  strongly  were  they  constructed. 

The  Americans  found  the  trenches  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river  do- 
serted,  which  furnished  them  with  cover  from  which  they  could  pick  off 
Filipinos  whenever  one  of  them  showed  his  head. 

When  the  rebels  began  firing  two  puffs  of  smoke,  simultaneously,  from 
the  trenches  on  each  side  of  the  railroad  track  showed  they  were  using  can- 
non, which  was  a  genuine  surprise  to  the  Americans.  Several  shells  burst 
close  to  General  Wheaton's  staff,  but  it  seemed  that  the  Filipinos  failed  to 
master  the  machinery  of  modern  shells,  as  they  were  unable  to  get  the  right 
range. 

Rebels  Still  Pouring  a  Heavy  Fire. 

Young's  Utah  Battery  was  ordered  into  position  in  the  centre  of  the 
Kansas  Regiment  to  silence  the  rebel  guns,  and  at  1 1  o  clock  the  rapid-fire 
guns  had  been  ferried  across  the  river  and  came  into  line.  At  noon  the 
rebels  were  still  pouring  a  heavy  fire  in  the  direction  of  the  Americans, 
who  returned  it  spiritedly.  Two  Americans  were  killed  and  seven  were 
wounded.  At  about  this  time  General  Hale's  brigade  was  advancing  east  of 
the  line,  apparently  to  cross  the  river  and  attack  the  rebel  trenches  in  the 
flank,  as  the  Americans  did  the  previous  day. 

General  MacArthur  secured  an  order  issued  by  Aguinaldo  to  the  rebel 
commanders  telling  them  to  instruct  their  men  to  economize  their  fire,  save 
the  empty  shells,  and  not  to  fire  at  the  enemy  when  the  latter  was  under 
cover.  The  Filipinos  were  also  instructed  never  to  fire  at  a  longer  range 
than  1 60  yards,  and  when  they  had  a  river  or  other  obstruction  in  front  to 
hold  their  fire  until  within  ninety  yards. 

General  Lawton  met  with  the  greatest  obstacles  in  the  character  of  the 
I  country.  He  was  forced  to  put  his  men  at  work  building  roads,  and  the 
transport  service  gave  him  much  trouble,  bullocks  dying  of  the  heat  and 
exhaustion, and  Chinamen  having  to  be  employed  in  pulling  some  of  the  carts. 
The  natives  fled  before  the  expedition,  but  they  swarmed  back  to  their  huts  ay 
soon  as  the  American  troops  passed. 


BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA.  317 

The  most  brilliant  exploit  and  the  winning  of  the  greatest  American 
victory  in  the  battles  around  Manila  occurred  on  the  27th.  The  taking  of 
/he  bridge  over  the  Rio  Grande  at  Calumpit  was  a  deed  of  astonishing  daring. 
It  was  the  most  strongly  defended  position  held  by  the  insurgents.  Located 
on  the  north  shore  of  the  Rio  Grande,  opposite  Calumpit,  it  is  the  most 
valuable  strategic  point  in  Luzon.  The  fact  that  it  was  guarded  by  the  most 
trustworthy  and  best  disciplined  regiments  of  General  Aguinaldo  made  the 
feat  more  noteworthy.  Army  officers  said  the  daring  displayed  by  the 
American  troops  was  almost  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  modern  warfare. 

Colonel  Funston's  Gallant  Charge. 

It  was  a  red-letter  day  for  the  Twentieth  Regiment  of  Kansas  Volunteer^ 
commanded  by  Colonel  Funston.  One  hundred  and  twenty  men  belonging 
to  that  regiment  crossed  the  river  in  the  face  of  a  deadly  fire  from  3,000 
insurgent  Mausers.  This  torrent  of  bullets  was  augmented  by  a  fusillade  of 
a  Maxim  gun,  of  which  the  insurgents  had  obtained  possession. 

Colonel  Funston,  with  only  nine  men,  charged  the  trenches  manned  by 
thousands  of  insurgents,  discharging  their  rifles  as  they  ran  up  the  embank- 
ments. The  American  artillery  on  the  south  shore  of  the  Rio  Grande 
poured  shot  and  shell  into  the  Filipino  stronghold.  The  rebels  were  stam- 
peded. They  went  to  the  north,  toward  Bacolor.  Despite  the  extraordinary 
risks  and  chances  taken  by  the  Americans  our  troops  suffered  very  few  casu- 
alties. Only  one  man  was  killed,  and  the  wounded  do  not  exceed  a  dozen. 
The  insurgents  lost  heavily,  fully  twenty-five  were  killed  during  the  mad 
charge  of  Colonel  Funston's  men  on  the  trenches. 

In  telling  of  the  engagement,  in  order  to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
bravery  of  our  troops,  and  the  extraordinary  character  of  their  achievement, 
it  is  necessary  to  describe  the  defense  held  by  the  Filipinos,  and  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  country.  The  bridge  where  the  desperate  fighting  took  place 
is  about  a  hundred  yards  long.  It  extends  over  the  Rio  Grande,  and  is  the 
gateway,  practically,  to  the  entire  northern  portion  of  the  Island  of  Luzon. 
Ail  the  ties  and  rails  had  been  removed  from  the  structure,  making  it  almost 
impossible  to  cross,  as  the  men  had  to  creep  along  the  iron  framework. 

At  the  further  end  of  the  bridge,  opposite  Calumpit,  were  the  most  care- 
fully constructed  and  formidable  earthworks.  They  seemed  almost  impreg- 
nable. They  were  in  the  form  of  semi-circular  trenches  around  the  approach 
of  the  bridge.  The  trenches  had  roofs  of  steel  rails.  These  roofs  formed  a 
splendid  protection  against  bursting  shells,  and  for  a  time  made  the  work  of 
the  artillery  almost  futile.  These  earthworks  extended  for  a  long  distance  in 
either  direction.  They  were  evidently  the  work  of  many  weeks.  An  old 


318  BATTLES   AROUND    MANILA. 

Spanish  cannon  was  mounted  near  the  railway,  with  its  muzzle  pointed  south 
toward  Calumpit. 

About  300  yards  west  of  the  railroad,  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  a  deep,  narrow  stream  empties  into  the  river.  Beyond  this  stream  are 
other  trenches  commanding  the  south  shore  of  the  river.  The  American 
forces  occupied  the  south  shore,  within  400  yards  of  the  insurgent  earthworks. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  Filipinos  began  a  steady  fire  from  both  their  infantry 
and  artillery.  Most  of  it  was  directed  upon  the  freight  house  where  the  Sixth 
Artillery  guns  were  stationed.  The  Americans,  however,  returned  such  3 
heavy  fire  that  the  insurgents  were  obliged  to  keep  beneath  the  cover  of  their 
earthworks. 

It  was  during  this  fire  that  Colonel  Funston  and  his  120  Kansans  per- 
formed the  exploit  of  the  day.  They  marched  down  to  the  river,  a  distance 
of  300  yards  from  the  freight  house,  in  plain  view  of  the  insurgents.  Imme- 
diately the  Filipino  fire  was  directed  upon  the  Kansas  men.  Colonel  Funston 
and  his  men  were  prepared  to  cross  the  river  so  that  they  could  make  a  flank 
attack  upon  the  rebels  in  the  trenches.  Privates  White  and  Trembly,  of  Com- 
pany D,  of  the  Kansas  regiment,  stripped  off  their  uniforms,  jumped  into  the 
river  and  swam  directly  toward  the  Filipino  breastworks.  Almost  immediately 
they  drew  the  fire  from  the  trenches  of  the  insurgents,  but  evidently  they  had 
not  been  noticed  by  the  insurgents  at  the  end  of  the  bridge.  The  latter  were 
fully  occupied  by  the  artillery  and  infantry  fire  of  the  Americans. 

Great  Bravery  of  Two  Soldiers. 

When  White  and  Trembly  reached  the  shore  they  carried  a  rope  to  the 
beach,  tied  it  to  an  upright  of  the  bridge,  and  by  making  a  tremendous  noise 
frightened  the  insurgents  out.  They  had  no  arms,  but  they  threw  clods  of 
dirt  into  the  trenches  and  kept  up  such  a  terrific  yelling  that  the  insurgents 
thought  a  whole  company  was  upon  them.  All  this  time  Colonel  Funston 
and  his  men  on  the  south  shore  of  the  river  kept  up  a  steady  fire,  thereby 
protecting  White  and  Trembly.  Two  more  Kansans  followed  in  a  small  boat 
with  the  clothes  and  rifles  which  had  been  stripped  off  by  Trembly  and  White, 
but  the  boat  capsized.  Its  contents  were  lost  and  the  two  men  in  it  were 
obliged  to  swim  for  their  lives. 

Colonel  Funston  in  the  meantime  followed  on  a  raft  with  about  20  meii. 
Close  behind  him  came  two  more  rafts  on  which  were  30  men.  The  appear- 
ance of  this  number  revealed  to  the  main  force  of  the  Filipinos  the  daring 
trick  which  had  been  practiced  upon  them.  Immediately  they  directed  a 
wild  fire  toward  the  rafts.  It  was  ineffective.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Funston 
reached  the  opposite  shore  with  his  50  men  he  rushed  down  to  the  small 


BATTLES  AROUND   MANILA.  319 

stream  which  empties  into  the  Rio  Grande,  about  300  yards  from  the  railroad 
bridge.  His  men  were  yelling  like  demons.  They  were  pouring  a  terrific 
enfilading  fire  into  the  main  trenches  of  the  insurgents  across  the  small 
stream. 

The  Philipinos  became  panic  stricken.  There  was  a  regular  stampede^ 
When  Colonel  Funston  saw  them  running  he  searched  for  some  place  to 
cross,  and  in  so  doing  got  under  the  fire  from  several  hundred  insurgents 
who  had  retreated  some  distance  from  the  smaller  stream.  A  Maxim  gun 
opened  on  them  from  a  different  direction,  arid  this  fire  compelled  them  to  re- 
tire. When  the  Maxim  ceased  the  Filipinos  returned.  Finally  Colonel 
Funston  found  a  small  boat,  and,  with  Captain  Orwig  and  eight  men,  crossed 
the  small  river,  and  with  this  handful  of  volunteers  charged  straight  into  the 
neavy  trenches  held  by  the  Filipinos.  They  chased  the  insurgents  out  of 
their  protected  position,  and  by  the  time  Colonel  Funston  reached  the  rail- 
road the  Kansas  and  Montana  troops  began  creeping  across  the  bridge. 

It  was  thought  the  insurgents  had  fled;  They  were  noticed,  however,  in 
a  big  field  to  the  rear  of  their  entrenchment  forming  a  long  skirmish  line. 
Several  hundred  of  them  prepared  to  advance.  They  appeared  greatly  de- 
moralized, however.  Two  generals  on  horses  galloped  wildly  back  and  forth 
endeavoring  to  restore  order.  They  finally  got  the  Filipinos  into  fairly  good 
order  as  a  skirmish  line.  Then  generals  could  be  seen  by  the  Americans 
urging  their  men  to  advance.  As  the  line  moved  forward  the  Kansas  Regi- 
ment opened  fire  from  the  position  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
The  insurgents  broke  again. 

Following  Up  the  Insurgents. 

The  advance  had  just  begun  when  General  Wheaton.  who  crossed  the 
bridge  among  the  first  troops  who  had  gone  over  under  the  cover  of  Colonel 
Funston's  men,  ordered  all  available  troops  to  attack  the  flying  insurgents. 
As  they  retreated  the  Kansas  and  Montana  regiments  followed  them,  while 
Colonel  Funston  ordered  the  Nebraska  and  the  South  Dakota  regiments  to 
cross  the  bridge  and  follow  the  soldiers  from  Kansas  and  Nebraska  in  the 
chase.  Then  followed  a  long  running  fight.  The  insurgents  endeavored  to 
reach  Minalin,  the  next  station  on  the  railroad.  The  locomotives  were 
visible  there  with  steam  up.  Some  of  the  Filipinos  succeeded  in  reaching 
this  train,  which  steamed  rapidly  north.  About  thirty  who  were  unable  to 
get  on  the  train  advanced  to  the  American  lines  under  a  flag  of  truce  and  sur- 
rendered. Many  escaped  through  the  woods. 

Aspalit,  the  next  station,  was  set  on  fire  by  the  insurgents  and  was 
burned.  The  Filipinos  had  evacuated  the  town  before  our  troops  reached  it 


320  BATTLES  AROUND    MANILA. 

The  two  batteries  of  artillery  known  at  Manila  as  the  "  Mormons  "  be- 
came famous  on  account  of  their  heroic  exploits.  Sturdy  city  men  from 
Pennsylvania,  plainsmen  from  Nebraska,  Kansas  and  South  Dakota,  and 
miners  and  cowboys  from  Montana  and  Idaho,  have  all  charged  under  the 
protection  of  the  twelve  guns  of  the  Utah  artillery,  and  the  generals  have 
taken  pride  in  giving  credit  and  promotion  to  its  brave  men. 

Utah  Battery's  Brilliant  Achievements. 

There  is  special  interest  in  the  East,  too,  in  the  performances  of  this) 
organization.  Major  Richard  W.  Young,  the  senior  officer  of  the  battalion, 
is  a  graduate  of  Columbia  University  Law  School,  a  West  Pointer,  and  spent 
many  years  on  Governor's  Island  as  Judge  Advocate  of  the  Department  of 
the  East  under  General  Hancock.  ^  Major  Grant,  Commander  of  the  Second 
battery,  was  a  graduate  of  theJCarfelfen  School  of  Artillery,  and  spent  many 
years  of  his  life  in  the  East.  ;>; 

Utah  prepared  in  1886  for  4p|jfKstinctiori  that  has  now  come  to  her  by 
purchasing  eight  3.2-inch  modern  field  guns  immediately  after  she  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union.  At  that  time  there  was  a  large  sum  in  the  Treasury  at 
Washington,  the  accumulation  of  many  years'  allowances  for  militia  organi- 
zation. This,  on  the  advice  of  Major  Young,  formerly  an«officer  of  the  Fifth 
artillery,  then  a  lawyer  in  Salt  Lake-  City,  was  used  in  the  purchase  of  the 
cannon,  and  when  the  war  began  he  was  entrusted  with  the  organization  of 
three  batteries  of  volunteers. 

Two  of  these  were  taken  on  the  transports  Colon  and  China  on  the 
second  military  expedition  to  Manila,  embarking  on  June  15,  1898,  and  it 
was  their  fortune  to  be  engaged  in  the  first  battle  with  the  Spaniards.  Four 
of  the  guns  were  posted  to  guard  the  advanced  post  of  the  American  troops 
in  front  of  Malate.  Barely  eight  hundred  yards  in  front  of  them  were  the 
Spanish  trenches  and  forts,  and  only  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  was  near  to 
support  them. 

The  handful  of  men  at  the  guns  had  a  memorable  taste  of  war  on  the 
night  of  July  3ist,  when  a  tropical  rain  was  flooding  the  trenches  and  shut- 
ting out  everything  from  their  sight.  In  the  midst  of  the  storm  the  Spaniards 
opened  fire  from  their  trenches,  and  soon  a  body  of  more  than  three  thousand 
were  charging  on  the  guns  and  the  Pennsylvanians. 

Captains  Young  and  Grant  and  almost  all  the  other  officers  of  the  bat- 
teries were  with  General  Greene  at  Camp  Dewey.  The  guns  were  in  charge 
of  Lieutenant  Orrin  M.  Grow,  who  was  barely  twenty-seven  years  old.  Sup- 
ported by  the  Pennsylvanians,  the  men  held  to  their  position,  pouring  shrapnel 
m  the  direction  of  the  Spanish  lines,  and  at  one  time  seeing  the  faces  of  their 


BATTLES  AROUND    MANILA.  321 

charging  foes  by  the  flash  of  their  guns.  Finally  when  their  ammunition  was 
almost  exhausted  General  Greene  came  up  with  infantry  support,  and  Captains 
Young  and  Grant  led  the  other  eager  men  of  the  Utah  batteries,  who  were 
pulling  their  guns  through  mud  that  reached  the  hubs  of  the  carriages.  . 

Even  the  advance  of  the  Americans  proved  a  danger  for  the  brave  little 
band,  however,  for  when  the  Californians  saw  the  flash  of  the  Utah  guns  in  the 
darkness  they  opened  fire  on  the  two  score  of  men  in  the  trenches  and  kept  it 
up  until  they  realized  they  had  been  shooting  at  friends. 

In  the  capture  of  Manila  the  post  of  honor  was  given  to  the  Utah  bat- 
teries. They  opened  fire  early  in  the  morning  on  the  Spanish  fort  at  Malate, 
and  covered  the  advance  of  General  Greene's  division,  which  forced  its  way 
even  to  the  walls  of  the  old  city.  Special  mention  was  made  of  the  artillery- 
men and  their  officers  in  the  report  of  the  engagement.  When  the  alarm 
sounded  after  the  insurgent  attack  on  the  night  of  .February  4th  the  Utah 
guns,  now  increased  to  twelve  by  the  capture  of  cannon  from  the  Spaniards, 
-were  in  the  city.  But  to  each  had  been  given  its  station,  and  soon  the  boys 
were  rattling  through  the  streets,  dragging  their  guns  in  the  midst  of  bullets 
that  came  from  every  side.  At  daylight  they  were  guarding  the  infantry  from 
the  beach  north  of  Manila  to  the  Pasig  river. 

Covers  the  Advance  of  Our  Infantry. 

Two  of  the  guns  under  Lieutenant  W.  C.  Webb  were  directly  in  front  of 
San  Juan  Bridge,  over  which  had  been  fired  the  shot  of  the  American  sentry 
that  brought  the  armies  into  conflict.  So  close  were  the  cannon  to  the  enemy 
that  after  the  first  fire  the  insurgents  concentrated  their  attention  on  them,  and 
two  of  the  gunners  were  killed  before  the  infantrymen  could  reach  the  rebel 
trenches. 

From  one  position  to  another  along  the  whole  front  of  the  left  wing  the 
Utah  batteries  for  three  days  covered  the  advance  of  the  infantry.  In  the  re- 
capture of  the  Manila  water  works,  on  which  depended  the  safety  of  the  city, 
seven  of  the  guns  shelled  the  insurgents  from  hill  to  hill.  Churches,  convents, 
monasteries  and  other  buildings  wherein  Aguinaldo's  men  took  refuge  bear 
the  marks  of  the  accurate  fire  of  the  Westerners. 

On  the  right  wing  in  this  engagement  Utah  artillerymen  acted  on  the 
water,  Lieutenant  Naylor  commanding  the  gunboat  Laguna  de  Bay,  dubbed 
by  the  soldiers  the  "  Mud  Hen,"  which  prepared  the  way  for  the  advance  up 
the  Pasig  River.  Afterward  Major  Grant,  who  had  received  promotion  in 
company  with  Major  Young  for  gallantry  in  action,  was  put  in  command  of 
the  fleet  of  gunboats  which  guarded  the  Pasig  River  and  swept  around  Laguna 

de  Bay,  disorganizing  the  insurgents  and  later  covering  the  landing  of  Law- 
21-D 


322  BATTLES   AROUND   MANIl  A. 

ton's  expedition  on  the  lake  shore.  From  Caloocan  to  Calumpit  insurgent 
works  show  evidence  of  the  work  of  the  Utah  gunners.  They  were  in  the 
advance  line  of  MacArthur's  troops,  covering  the  advance  with  canister  that 
shook  the  bravery  of  Aguinaldo's  best  troops. 

As  a  reward  for  his  efficiency  Major  Young  was  offered  a  commission  in 
the  regular  army.  During  the  early  days  of  the  occupation  of  Manila  he 
was  judge  of  the  provost  court,  and  his  name  was  recommended  to  President 
McKinley  for  an  appointment  as  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  Judge  Advocate 
General's  Department. 

Probably  three-fourths  of  the  men  in  the  two  batteries  are  Mormons. 
Many  of  them  served  their  two  or  three  years  as  missionaries  for  that  Church 
and  a  Mormon  chaplain  was  with  the  battalion.  Major  Young  is  a  grandson 
of  Brigham  Young,  and  an  elder  and  Mormon  home  missionary.  Major 
Grant  is  a  Gentile  in  Utah,  in  company  with  several  of  the  brave  officers  in 
the  battalion.  There  was  no  church  feeling  in  the  batteries,  however. 

Spain  Receives  $20,000,000. 

Ambassador  Cambon,  as  the  diplomatic  representative  of  the  Spanish 
government  in  Washington,  called  at  the  State  Department  on  May  1st  and 
received  from  Secretary  Hay  four  warrants  for  $5,000,000  each,  making 
$20,000,000,  due  to  Spain  under  the  treaty  of  Paris. 

There  was  little  formality  about  the  transfer  of  warrants.  The  Ambas- 
sador showed  to  Secretary  Hay  his  authority  from  the  Spanish  government 
to  receive  the  money,  and  after  the  warrants  had  been  handed  him  he  signed 
four  copies  of  a  receipt.  He  retained  one  copy  and  another  was  sent  to  Mr. 
Storer,  the  newly  appointed  American  Minister  to  Spain.  A  third  was  sent 
to  Ambassador  Porter,  at  Paris,  and  the  fourth  was  sent  to  the  Treasury 
Department  to  be  filed. 

This  ended  the  details  connected  with  the  treaty  of  peace  between  our 
Government  and  Spain,  and  prepared  the  way  for  diplomatic  relation.';  to  be 
resumed.  The  negotiations  were  conducted  by  Ambassador  Catr/ooi)  v/ith 
excellent  judgment  and  tact,  and  his  work  was  highly  commended. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Our  Naval   Hero  Created  an  Admiral 

N  March  i,  1899,  a  public  announcement  was  made  in  Washington 
in  the  following  terms  : 

"Within  the   next  forty-eight   hours    Rear-Admiral    George 
Dewey  will  run  up  on  the  Olympia  a  blue  flag  containing  four 
white  stars — the  flag  of  admiral  of  the  United  States  navy. 

<(  By  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  House  of  Representatives  to-day  the  bill, 
which  had  already  passed  the  Senate,  authorizing  the  President  to  appoint  by 
selection  and  promotion  an  admiral  was  agreed  to.  The  bill  was  signed  by 
the  President  as  soon  as  it  reached  him,  and  Admiral  Dewey  will  be  notified 
by  cable  of  his  promotion. 

"  This  will  give  Admiral  Dewey  as  high  rank  as  any  other  naval  com- 
mander in  the  world.  It  makes  him  outrank  not  only  all  officers  of  the 
United  States  navy,  but  all  officers  of  the  United  States  army,  for  there  is  no 
officer  in  the  army  higher  than  a  major-general,  which  is  the  grade  corres- 
ponding with  rear-admiral  in  the  navy. 

Gained  the  Highest  Honor. 

"  This  bill  is  also  of  importance  politically,  for  it  enables  Admiral  Dewey 
to  realize  his  highest  ambition,  that  of  being  promoted  by  a  special  act  of 
Congress  to  the  highest  grade  of  naval  command.  Although  he  has  not 
been  a  presidential  candidate,  and  has  declined  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used 
in  connection  with  the  nomination,  it  is  more  than  ever  assured  now  that  he 
will  not  seek  political  honors. 

"  There  is  some  question  in  the  Navy  Department  and  in  Congress  as  to 
whether  additional  legislation  will  not  be  required  to  enable  Admiral  Dewey 
to  be  given  the  pay  of  an  admiral.  When  Mr.  Boutelle  called  up  the  bill  in  the 
House,  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  of  Massachusetts,  raised  the  point  that  it  contained  no 
provision  for  the  pay  of  admiral,  and  suggested  that  it  be  amended.  He  said 
he  had  the  authority  of  Mr.  Cummings,  of  the  Naval  Committee,  for  the 
statement  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  pay  Admiral  Dewey  without  a  special 
provision  of  law. 

"  Mr.  Boutelle  replied  that  this  was  all  provided  for  in  the  Naval  Per- 
sonnel Bill  that  had  been  passed.  This  measure  provides  that  officers  of  the 

323 


324  DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL. 

navy  shall  be  given  the  pay  and  allowances  of  officers  of  the  army  with  cor- 
responding rank,  with  some  special  provisions  as  to  officers  on  shore  and  sea 
duty.  The  revised  statutes  fix  the  pay  of  a  general  of  the  army  at  $13,500 
per  year,  and,  although  there  is  now  no  such  officer  as  general  of  the  army, 
the  section  fixing  the  pay  has  not  been  repealed. 

"  If  Mr.  Boutelle's  construction  of  the  Personnel  Bill  and  the  revised 
statutes  is  correct,  Admiral  Dewey  would  receive  $13,500  a  year  without 
special  legislation.  The  matter  will  be  looked  into,  and  if  it  is  found  that 
legislation  is  necessary  a  joint  resolution  or  a  special  bill  will  be  rushed 
through  Congress  before  adjournment." 

The  next  day  another  anouncement  was  made  to  the  following  effect: 

"  Rear-Admiral  George  Dewey  will  be  made  an  admiral  in  spite  of 
Chairman  Boutelle's  efforts  to  prevent  any  legislation  that  did  not  at  the  same 
time  provide  for  the  grade  of  vice-admiral  for  Rear-Admiral  Sampson. 

"  To  Representative  Moody,  of  Massachusetts,  is  due  the  credit  for  out- 
flanking Mr.  Boutelle  and  giving  the  House  an  opportunity  to  act.  When 
the  reading  of  the  Naval  Appropriation  Bill  had  been  completed  to-day  Mr. 
Moody  secured  recognition  to  offer  an  amendment.  Mr.  Boutelle,  who  knew 
what  the  amendment  was,  tried  to  shut  him  out  by  protesting  against  any 
amendment  being  offered  which  was  not  in  order.  Mr.  Moody  demanded 
that  his  amendment  be  read,  and  Mr.  Sherman,  of  New  York,  who  was  pre- 
siding in  the  Committee  of  the  Whole,  directed  the  clerk  to  read  it. 

Carried  with  Enthusiastic  Shouts. 

"  The  reading  was  the  signal  for  an  outburst  of  applause,  and  Mr. 
Boutelle,  evidently  realizing  that  he  was  in  a  hopeless  minority,  did  not  make 
a  point  of  order  against  it  at  once,  but  said  he  would  reserve  the  point  of 
order.  Then,  as  Mr.  Moody  was  proceeding  to  debate  his  amendment,  Mr. 
Boutelle  declared  that  he  would  not  make  the  point  of  order  if  there  could  be 
a  vote  without  debate. 

" '  Without  a  word/  exclaimed  Mr.  Moody  at  once,  and  there  was  a 
chorus  of  '  Vote ! '  '  Vote  ! '  from  all  parts  of  the  House.  Mr.  Sherman  put 
the  question,  and  there  was  a  loud  shout  of  'Aye ! '  amid  applause  from  the 
floor  and  galleries.  He  called  for  the  negative.  There  was  an  instant  of 
complete  silence,  and  then  the  House  broke  into  renewed  and  continued 
applause.  The  amendment  had  been  adopted  without  a  single  vote  in  oppo- 
sition. 

"  The  amendment  is  in  the  language  of  the  bill  which  has  already  passed 
the  Senate,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Senate  will  concur  in  it  without 
change.  It  provides  :  '  That  the  president  is  hereby  authorized  to  appoint, 


DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL.  325 

by  selection  and  promotion,  an  admiral  of  the  navy,  who  shall  not  be  placed 
upon  the  retired  list  except  upon  his  own  application,  and  whenever  such 
office  shall  be  vacated,  by  death  or  otherwise,  the  office  shall  cease  to  exist.'1 

And  so  George  Dewey  assumed  the  rank  and  hoisted  the  flag  of  an 
admiral  of  the  American  navy.  Authority  to  take  such  action  was  cabled  to 
him  by  Secretary  Long.  The  cablegram  was  sent  immediately  after  receipt 
of  information  from  the  Senate  that  it  had  confirmed  the  nomination  sent  in 
by  the  President  earlier  in  the  day.  Upon  the  hoisting  of  the  admiral's  flag 
each  vessel  of  the  Asiatic  squadron  at  Manila  fired  a  salute  of  seventeen  gung 
in  recognition  of  the  new  rank  of  its  commander-in-chief. 

Immediately  after  the  transmission  of  the  nomination  to  the  Senate 
Secretary  Long  sent  this  congratulatory  message  to  the  admiral : 

"  Heartiest  congratulations  upon  your  deserved  appointment  as  admiral. 

"LONG," 

This  cablegram  was  sent  later  in  the  afternoon : 

"  The  President  adds  congratulations  upon  your  confirmation.  "  LONG.'' 

Another  message  was  sent  authorizing  Dewey  to  assume  the  rank  and 
hoist  the  flag  of  an  admiral.  A  commission  was  ordered  to  be  prepared 
which  would  be  similar  to  commissions  usually  issued,  except  that  it  would 
be  more  handsomely  engraved. 

Views  Concerning  the  Presidency. 

Admiral  Dewey  at  once  gave  to  a  Manila  correspondent  a  very  full  inter- 
view regarding  the  suggestion  that  the  admiral  be  made  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  The  correspondent  says  : 

"  After  talking  of  the  previous  day's  experience,  of  the  war  and  of  minor 
matters,  I  asked  Dewey  if  he  objected  to  speak  upon  the  subject  that  was 
interesting  the  millions  of  people  to  whom  his  name  was  a  household  word — 
upon  the  subject  of  his  possible  candidacy  for  the  Presidency  in  1900. 

" '  No ;  I  have  no  objections  to  talking  of  that  subject,  but,  you  see,  they 
want  to  know  whether  I  am  a  Democrat  or  a  Republican.7 

' '  And  which,  then,  are  you  ? '  I  asked.  Dewey  looked  at  me  a  moment 
and  smiled. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  am  a  sailor.  A  sailor  has  no  politics.  The  adminis- 
tration is  his  party,  and,  Republican  or  Democratic,  it  makes  no  difference. 
Then,  again,  I  come  from  Vermont,  and  you  know  what  that  means.  To  be 
anything  but  a  Republican  in  Vermont  is  to  be  a  man  without  a  party.  My 
flag  lieutenant  comes  from  Georgia.  He  tells  me  that  to  be  anything  but  a 
Democrat  in  the  South  is  to  be  a  nobody.  If  I  lived  South  I  would  probably 
be  a  Democrat.' 


326  DEWEY   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL. 

"  *  Have  you  ever  voted  ?  '  I  asked. 

" '  Yes,  years  ago  ;  but  my  vote  was  usually  influenced  by  personal  pre- 
ference or  local  conditions.  I  am  not  a  politician,  have  never  held  political 
office,  and  am  totally  ignorant  of  party  intricacies  and  affiliations.' 

"  '  I  understand  Senator  Proctor  says  Vermont  will  propose  you  for  the 
Presidency/  I  continued. 

" '  Is  that  so  ?     How  do  you  know  ?  '  the  admiral  questioned  me. 

"  I  then  read  him  an  article  referring  to  an  interview  to  that  effect.  '  Had 
Senator  Proctor  reason  to  think  you  would  accept  such  a  nomination  ?'  I  asked^ 

"  '  The  Senator  is  an  old  staunch  friend  of  mine.  I  have  known  him  all 
my  life.  He  has  written  me  on  this  subject.  Others  have  asked  permission 
to  use  my  name.  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  presumptuous  to  accept  a 
nomination  before  it  is  offered  ?  Perhaps  it  would  be  equally  previous  to 
reject  it.' 

"  But  I  hadn't  received  an  unequivocal  answer  yet,  so  I  again  referred  to 
the  question  of  presidential  candidacy.  An  entire  half  hour  the  admiral 
talked  on  this  subject.  I  will  not  quote  his  words.  It  is  too  momentous  a 
question  to  dispose  of  in  a  few  sentences. 

Not  Ambitious  for  Political  Office. 

"  No  man,  however  strong  in  his  purpose,  can  throw  the  thought  of 
such  a  possibility  over  his  shoulder  slightly.  Nor  did  Admiral  Dewey.  He 
discussed  it  gravely  and  seriously.  He  dwelt  upon  the  great  responsibilities 
of  the  office,  the  necessity  of  a  life's  training  to  equip  the  most  able  of  men  to 
occupy  such  an  exalted  and  arduous  office. 

"  And,  finally,  he  said  that  neither  by  vocation,  disposition,  education  nor 
training  was  he  capacitated  to  fill  such  a  position.  He  said  that  he  was  too 
well  along  in  life  to  consider  such  a  possibility.  His  health  would  not  admit 
it.  All  his  life's  work  was  in  different  lines  of  effort,  and,  while  the  kindness 
and  enthusiasm  were  grateful  to  him,  and  the  generous  tributes  of  the  Amer- 
ican people  were  dear  to  him,  he  could  not  and  would  not  be  a  candidate  for 
the  Presidency  of  the  United  States  under  any  conditions."  The  corres- 
pondent makes  this  statement,  as  he  says,  with  the  full  consent  and  on  the 
authority  of  Admiral  Dewey : 

" '  If  there  is  such  a  tide  of  sentiment  it  must  be  stemmed/  the  admiral 
concluded." 

Soon  after  Dewey  was  created  an  admiral  an  organized  movement  was 
begun  for  the  purpose  of  making  him  a  present  of  a  handsome  house  for  his 
permanent  residence.  A  committee  in  Washington  sent  out  the  following 
statement  and  appeal : 


DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL.  327 

"  The  American  people  are  anxious  to  do  honor  to  Admiral  Dewey. 
Their  zeal  has  taken  the  form  of  invitations  to  banquets  in  many  different 
cities,  of  celebrations,  parades  and  displays.  Obviously,  it  will  be  impossible 
for  him  to  attend  all  the  banquets,  and  it  may  be  invidious  to  select  one  or  a 
few  for  the  honor  of  his  presence.  The  common  sense  of  our  countrymen 
does  not  find  suitable  expression  for  its  admiration  and  esteem  for  our  great 
naval  hero  in  methods  effervescent  and  transient. 

"  A  grateful  nation  cannot  do  better  than  provide  liberally  for  Admiral 
Dewey's  comfort  in  a  home  fitted  to  his  tastes,  worthy  in  some  measure  of  his 
services  and  indicative  in  a  small  degree  of  the  gratitude  which  is  not  of  a 
day,  but  of  all  time.  A  popular  subscription  will  afford  all  the  privilege  to 
join  in  such  a  testimonial,  in  which  patriotism  will  have  a  monument. 

"The  career  of  Admiral  Dewey  is  a  part  of  our  national  history,  a 
glorious  chapter  in  the  magnificent  record  of  the  recent  war  with  Spain.  Not 
in  our  own  country  alone,  but  in  all  the  world,  his  name  is  emblazoned  with 
those  that  shall  not  die.  His  services  all  know  in  part,  the  future  will  add  to 
appreciation  of  his  greatness,  to  the  solidity  and  brilliancy  of  his  fame. 

"  On  his  return  from  the  scene  of  his  victories  and  his  statesmanship,  the 
official  duties  of  Admiral  Dewey  will  be  performed  in  Washington.  He 
should  have  a  home  there.  The  national  capital  cannot  fail  to  have  attrac- 
tions for  him  in  the  present  and  the  future.  For  a  winter  residence  during 
his  life  he  can  hardly  find  a  more  desirable  place.  It  is  for  a  home  for 
Admiral  Dewey  in  Washington  that  subscriptions  are  invited. 

Talk  of  a  Substantial  Gift. 

"  Suggestions  to  this  general  effect  have  been  put  forth  in  several  quar- 
ters. Assurances  have  been  conveyed  to  the  undersigned,  that  the  general 
enthusiasm  can  be  directed  into  a  single  current  through  their  agency  as 
a  national  committee.  Each  of  us,  busy  with  manifold  occupations,  accepts 
as  a  duty  not  to  be  set  aside  the  task  of  organizing  the  popular  munificence 
for  this  purpose,  and  of  administering  the  patriotic  trust  for  a  Dewey  home 
fund. 

"  Subscriptions  may  be  sent  at  once  to  the  Treasurer  of  this  fund  at  the 
Treasury  Department,  Washington,  D.  C.  Temporary  receipts  will  be 
promptly  returned,  and  as  soon  as  it  can  be  prepared  a  duplicate  of  the  same 
date  and  number,  bearing  a  fine  portrait  of  Admiral  Dewey,  will  be  forwarded 
;o  every  subscriber. 

u  Immediate  response  will  enable  the  National  Committee  to  convey  to 
Admiral  Dewey  as  soon  as  he  lands  practical  evidence  that  the  American 
people  have  provided  for  him  a  nome  at  the  nation's  capital. 


328  DEWEY   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL. 

"  The  committee  invites  the  newspapers  of  the  country  and  the  Govern- 
ors of  all  States  to  co-operate  in  the  movement. 

"  FRANK  A.  VANDERLIP,  Chairman. 

44  CHARLES  H.  ALLEN. 

"  HENRY  C.  CORBIN. 

"  PERRY  S.  HEATH. 

"  ELLIS  H.  ROBERTS,  Treasurer  of  Fund." 

Concerning  this  appeal,  one  of  our  large  journals  contained  a  lengthy 
and  interesting  statement  which  the  reader  will  be  glad  to  peruse,  and  which 
is  here  reproduced  in  full. 

"  The  enthusiasm  which  attends  any  proposition  to  add  fresh  honors  and 
rewards  to  those  which  Admiral  Dewey  has  already  received  from  the  gov- 
ernment at  Washington,  is  one  of  the  most  notable  examples  of  hero  worship 
in  our  history.  No  other  American  at  his  comparatively  advanced  age, 
unless  Farragut  be  excepted,  has  leaped  into  such  glory  in  a  single  twelve- 
month. It  may  be  doubted  whether  a  national  greeting  ever  given  to  any 
man  that  has  landed  in  this  country  has  exceeded  the  one  which  seems  likely 
to  be  offered  to  Dewey. 

The  Nation's  Gratitude. 

"  The  preparations  which  are  beginning  to  be  made  for  it  indicate  an 
extraordinary  occasion — something  like  the  homage  of  the  whole  nation  when 
Lafayette  was  welcomed  into  and  through  the  United  States  in  his  old  age. 
More  than  this,  there  seems  to  be  a  prevailing  feeling  that  a  great  purse  or 
fund  should  be  presented  to  the  Admiral,  or  that  when  he  comes  home,  he 
shall  have  the  free  deed  to  a  luxurious  mansion  at  Washington,  in  which  he 
may  live  for  the  rest  of  his  days  in  a  style  which  Farragut  and  Porter  never 
dreamed  of. 

"  It  is  no  new  thing  for  American  generosity  to  expend  itself  on  public 
servants  who  have  been  poor  or  in  need  of  money.  For  the  most  part,  how- 
ever, the  ablest  and  most  heroic  men  in  our  military  and  naval  service  have 
been  honored  with  swords,  medals,  or  votes  of  thanks.  Some  of  them,  too, 
have  been  scrupulous  about  accepting  any  financial  reward  outside  of  their 
regular  pay.  Thus,  Washington,  when  he  came  to  Philadelphia  to  assume 
the  Presidency,  took  special  pains  that  he  should  not  live  in  the  house  on 
Market  Street  free  of  rent,  and  insisted  that  he  should  pay  for  it  at  the  rate  of 
three  thousand  dollars  a  year,  the  same  as  any  other  tenant  would  have 
done. 

"  Not  a  few  of  his  military  associates  in  the  Revolution  received  lane? 


DEWE^   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL.  329 

grants  and  other  gratuities  from  various  States,  as  when  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia,  for  example,  rewarded  Greene  for  his  Southern  campaign.  Wayne 
was  another  beneficiary  of  Southern  gratitude,  although  the  gallant  Pennsyl- 
vanian  had  limited  faculties  for  business,  and  his  life  came  to  be  sadly  embit- 
tered by  financial  losses. 

"  On  one  occasion  he  was  moved  to  quote  some  lines  from  *  The  Old 
Soldier'  in  describing  his  desperate  frame  of  mind: 

"  '  Once  gay  in  life  and  free  from  anxious  care, 
I  through  the  furrows  drove  the  shining  share ; 
I  saw  my  waving  fields  with  plenty  crowned, 
And  yellow  Ceres'  joyous  smile  around. 
Till  roused  by  freedom  at  my  country's  call, 
I  left  my  peaceful  home  and  gave  up  all. 
Now  forced,  alas  !  in  distant  climes  to  tread, 
This  crazy  body  longs  to  join  the  dead. 
Ungrateful  country  !  When  the  danger's  o'er, 
Your  bravest  sons  cold  charity  implore. 
Ah  1  heave  for  me  a  sympathetic  sigh, 
And  wipe  the  falling  tears  from  sorrow's  eye.' 

Jefferson  Relieved  from  Embarrassment. 

"  The  truth  is  there  are  examples  of  eminent,  honorable  Americans  that 
may  be  adduced  either  for  or  against  such  projects  of  '  popular  '  tribute  as 
are  now  on  foot  for  Dewey.  Thus  Jefferson,  when  an  old  man,  embarrassed 
with  debt,  was  enabled  to  save  Monticello  and  relieve  his  immediate  distress, 
first  by  the  sale  of  his  library  to  Congress,  and  next  by  a  popular  subscription 
taken  throughout  the  country  for  his  special  benefit.  A  '  dollar  fund  '  was 
begun  in  this  city  for  the  old  patriot,  and  similar  funds  were  collected  else- 
where, and  it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  efforts  to  provide  for  his  debts  that  he 
passed  away. 

"  He  lived  long  enough  to  know  that  his  countrymen  tendered  him  this 
money  as  a  portion  of  their  debt  of  gratitude  to  him  for  services  which  they 
could  not  adequately  repay.  It  was  curious,  however,  that  a  man  who  believed 
in  the  simplicity  of  personal  independence  as  much  as  Jefferson  did,  should 
finally  have  been  obliged  to  look  to  the  indirect  bounty  of  the  government  and 
the  direct  bounty  of  his  friends.  But  they  regarded  it  as  the  untaxed  and  spon- 
taneous offerings  of  the  people's  conscience  or  the  tithe  which  the1  prosperous 
willingly  yield  to  the  makers  of  their  prosperity. 

"  Twenty  years  later  Daniel  Webster,  who  was  time  and  again  pursued 
by  his  creditors,  had  no  objection  to  the  efforts  of  his  friends  to  help  him  oir 
of  his  financial  predicaments.  It  was  common  for  his  political  enemies  tv 


320  DEWEY   CREATED  AN   ADMIRAL. 

describe  him  as  having  thus  put  himself  under  obligations  which  made  him 
what  they  called  '  the  pensioned  agent  of  the  manufacturers  '  in  their  fights 
/or  protective  legislation.  Henry  Clay's  house  at  Ashland  was  rescued  for 
him  through  similar  beneficence.  His  I.  O.  U.'s  were  as  notorious,  if  not  also 
as  numerous,  as  his  great  Whig  rivals. 

"  The  story  is  related  of  him  how  on  going  to  the  bank  near  his  home  to 
pay  a  debt  he  was  informed  that  there  had  been  many  thousands  of  dollars 
received  from  various  parts  of  the  country  with  orders  that  the  money  shoula 
be  used  to  pay  off  all  of  Henry  Clay's  notes  and  mortgages.  The  old  states- 
man was  uncertain  at  first  as  to  what  he  should  do.  He  had  doubts  whether 
in  public  propriety  he  could  accept  the  gift.  His  friends  gave  him  Jefferson's 
example  as  a  precedent.  They  showed  him  how  James  Monroe  was  likewise 
harassed.  They  said  that  he  had  amply  earned  their  favor  by  his  public  ser- 
vice. He  consented  to  accept  their  offers,  and  thus  the  famous  Ashland  was 
virtually  presented  to  him  when  it  was  about  to  be  lost  to  him. 

How  the  Country  Honored  Clay. 

"  It  is  to  be  observed  that  this  token  of  admiration  came  to  Clay  at  a 
time  when  he  had  just  been  defeated  in  his  last  and  greatest  race  for  the 
Presidency  in  1844,  when  the  contributors  had  little  to  expect  of  him,  and 
when  it  meant  for  the  most  part  that  the  man  whom  they  loved  should  not 
suffer  for  his  follies  and  indiscretions.  It  was  the  assurance  in  large  part  of 
an  honest,  unselfish  attachment.  But  Clay's  enemies  pointed  to  it  as  another 
evidence  of  '  bargain  and  sale/  They  had  called  him  a  Sabbath  breaker,  a 
blasphemer,  a  gambler  and  an  adulterer,  and  they  now  insisted  that  he  had 
sold  h'mself  to  the  financial  magnates  of  the  Whig  party  for  fifty  thousand 
dollars. 

"  When  George  H.  Stuart  and  his  fellow  Philadelphians  gave  General 
Grant  and  his  family  the  deed  of  the  house  at  2009  Chestnut  street,  it  was 
with  the  expectation  that  the  general  would  make  it  his  permanent  place  of 
residence.  Grant  was  poor  and  accepted  it  without  hesitation,  but  occupied 
the  house  for  only  a  very  short  time.  There  was  also  some  talk  of  making  a 
similar  presentation  to  General  Meade,  whose  family  had  lived  in  a  modest 
house  on  Spruce  street  between  Fifth  and  Sixth.  In  fact,  there  was  like  talk 
of  giving  Sherman  and  Sheridan  each  a  piece  of  rest  estate. 

"  Patriotic  sympathy  was  disposed,  too,  to  regard  the  widow  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  as  similarly  deserving  of  favor  until  Mrs.  Lincoln  ceased  to  be  an 
object  of  popular  interest  by  reason  of  her  apparent  indifference  to  the 
jnemory  of  her  riiartyred  husband.  The  widows  of  Tyler,  Polk,  Grant  and 
Gaifield  have  ea^h  received  pensions  of  $5,000  a  year,  I  think,  from  Con- 


DEWEY   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL.  331 

j/ress.  But  in  Richmond  there  was  recently  pointed  out  to  me  a  house  which 
General  Robert  Lee  declined  to  occupy  when  it  was  offered  to  him  as  a 
public  gift  for  the  use  of  himself  and  family.  He  thought,  it  is  said,  that  if 
anything  of  that  kind  were  to  be  done  it  should  be  for  the  rank  and  file—  the 
soldiers  who,  in  his  estimation,  were  quite  as  deserving  as  himself. 

"Probably  the  most  imposing  benefaction  of  a  'popular'  nature  in 
recognition  of  public  service  was  the  fund  which  was  subscribed  for  the 
widow  and  family  of  James  A.  Garfield.  Garfield  had  been  in  the  Presidency 
for  less  than  four  months  only  when  he  was  struck  down  by  the  assassin's 
bullet ;  he  had  hardly  been  a  public  character  of  the  very  first  rank  up  to  the 
time  he  was  almost  accidentally  pitched  upon  as  a  presidential  candidate; 
and  if  he  had  died  a  natural  death  in  1881  he  would  have  left  no  marked 
impression  upon  the  minds  of  his  countrymen.  But  the  act  of  assassination 
suddenly  placed  him  for  the  time  being  on  a  plane  with  Lincoln  in  the  public 
mind.  In  the  generous  effusion  of  mingled  grief  and  sympathy  which  fol- 
lowed the  tragedy  it  was  not  difficult  to  appeal  to  the  sense  of  compassion 
for  his  family.  More  than  $350,000  was  quickly  collected  for  their  relief! 

"  It  was  one  of  the  most  striking  instances  in  our  history  of  the  practical 
effects  of  a  sentimental  impulse  of  national  chivalry  toward  the  widow  and 
children  of  a  President  who  really  had  not  struck  deeply  into  the  admiration 
of  his  countrymen,  and  who,  but  for  the  circumstances  of  his  taking  off, 
would  now  be  the  least  remembered  of  our  Presidents. 

Private  Reward  for  Public  Services. 

"The  house  which  the  Chicago  millionaires  were  going  to  present  to 
General  Miles  for  his  services  in  putting  down  the  strikes  in  that  city,  and  the 
fund  which  some  of  McKinley's  Protection  friends  provided  to  save  him  from 
bankruptcy  when  he  was  Governor  of  Ohio,  have  been  interesting  examples 
of  private  reward,  either  actually  or  ostensibly,  for  public  service,  but  they 
were  personal  rather  than  general  in  their  character. 

"  As  for  Dewey,  the  patriotic  exuberant  idea  now  is  that  the  American 
private  purse  ought  to  set  up  the  conqueror  of  Manila  as  the  English  did 
the  conqueror  of  Blenheim  and  the  conqueror  of  Waterloo — nothing  too 
good,  nothing  too  big  for  a  man  whom  most  of  his  countrymen  did  not  even 
know  by  name  in  the  beginning  of  1898." 

The  movement  set  on  foot  to  provide  a  house  for  Admiral  Dewey  was 
well  meant,  as  a  host  of  his  friends  thought  he  should  receive  a  substantial 
testimonial  for  the  distinguished  services  he  had  rendered  his  country,  but 
when  the  Admiral  heard  what  was  contemplated,  with  characteristic  modesty 
and  generosity  he  declined  the  gift  and  urged  that  any  fund  raised  in  his 


332  DEWEY   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL. 

behalf  should  be  used  for  the  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  United 
States  whose  gallant  conduct  entitled  them  to  every  consideration.  As  his 
salary  was  to  be  ample  for  all  his  needs  he  could  not  consent  to  receive  gifts 
that,  in  his  estimation,  could  be  bestowed  where  they  were  more  needed. 

In  this  connection  we  present  a  statement  issued  by  our  Naval  Depart- 
ment at  Washington  showing  the  salaries  received  by  our  highest  naval 
officers.  This  was  made  public  in  June,  1899.  Under  the  new  law  naval 
officers  receive  the  pay  and  allowances  of  army  officers  of  the  corresponding 
grade,  the  result  of  which  is  to  practically  increase  their  pay  while  on  shore 
duty  through  allowances  for  quarters,  etc. 

How  Our  Naval  Officers  are  Paid. 

The  following  table  shows  the  pay  of  officers  of  the  line,  medical  and 
pay  corps  of  the  navy  and  officers  of  the  marine  corps : 

Sea  or  shore  duty         On 

Rank  beyond  sea.  shore. 

Admiral $13,500       $13,500 

Rear-admirals: 

First  nine 7,500  6,375 

Second  nine 5>5°°  4*675 

Chiefs  of  bureaus  and  brigadier-general  of  marine  corps  .    .  5>5°° 

Captains,  navy 3,500  2,975 

Judges  advocate  general  and  color  els,  marine  corps,  line 

and  staff 3,500  3,500 

Commanders,  navy 3,000  2,550 

Lieutenant-colonels,  marine  corps,  line  and  staff  .    .    .  3,000  3,000 

Lieutenant-commanders 2,500  2,125 

Majors,  marine  corps,  line  and  staff 2,500  2,500 

Lieutenants,  navy 1,800  1,530 

Captains,  marine  corps: 

Line o    e  1,800  1,800 

Staff 2,000  2,000 

Lieutenants  (junior  grade),  navy 1,500  1,275 

First  lieutenants  and  leader  of  band,  marine  corps    .    .  1,500  1,500 

Ensigns,  navy 1,400  1,190 

Second   lieutenants,   marine   corps;    chief   boat-swains,  3,500  3,500 

chief  gunners,  chief  carpenters  and  chief  sail-makers.  1,400  1,400 

All  officers  paid  under  this  table  below  the  rank  of  Rear  Admiral  or 
Brigadier-General  are  entitled  by  law  to  10  per  cent,  upon  the  full  yearly  pay 
of  their  grades  for  each  and  every  period  of  five  years'  service,  as  increase 
for  length  of  service,  or  "  longevity  pay,"  computed  upon  their  total  actual 


DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL.  333 

service  in  the  army,  navy  and  marine  corps  ;  provided,  that  the  total  amount 
of  such  increase  shall  not  exceed  40  per  cent,  upon  the  full  yearly  pay  of  the 
grade  ;  and,  provided  further,  that  the  pay  of  a  captain  in  the  navy  or  colonel 
of  marines  shall  not  exceed  $4,500  per  annum,  and  that  of  commander  in  the 
navy  or  lieutenant-colonel  of  marines  $4,000  per  annum. 

Naval  officers  of  the  line,  medical  and  pay  corps,  receive  15  per  cent, 
less  than  the  full  pay  (salary  and  increase)  of  their  rank  when  on  shore,  and 
full  pay  when  on  sea  duty  or  when  detailed  for  shore  duty  beyond  seas.  The 
reduction  of  pay  on  shore  does  not  apply  to  chief  boat-swains,  chief  gunners, 
chief  carpenters  and  chief  sail-makers,  who  receive  full  pay  on  shore  also. 

In  any  case  where  the  application  of  the  rates  of  pay  provided  by  the 
act  approved  March  3,  1899,  would  reduce  the  pay  which  an  officer  was 
receiving  at  the  time  Section  13  of  the  said  act  became  operative — July  I, 
1899 — he  shall  continue  to  receive  pay  according  to  the  previously  existing 
law. 

Aids  to  the  admiral  have  the  pay  of  captain  in  the  navy.  Aids  of  a  rear- 
admiral  have  $200,  and  of  the  brigadier-general  commandant  of  marine  corps, 
$150,  and  an  acting  commissary  of  subsistence  $100  a  year,  respectively,  in 
addition  to  the  pay  of  their  rank,  not  to  be  included  in  computing  the  service 

increase. 

Our  Retired  Officers. 

Officers  of  the  line,  medical  and  pay  corps  of  the  navy  retired  prior  to 
the  passage  of  the  act  approved  March  3,  1899,  continue  to  receive  the  same 
pay  on  the  retired  list  that  they  received  before  the  passage  of  said  act.  Those 
retired  subsequently  receive  75  per  cent,  of  pay  (salary  and  increase)  of  their 
rank. 

The  monthly  commutation  allowance  for  quarters  of  the  admiral  of  the 
navy  is  fixed  by  the  law  at  $125.  All  other  commissioned  officers  of  the 
line  and  of  the  medical  and  pay  corps  of  the  navy,  and  all  officers  of  the 
marine  corps  receive  the  same  allowances,  except  forage  to  naval  officers,  as 
are  or  may  be  provided  by  or  in  pursuance  of  law  for  the  officers  of  corres- 
ponding rank  in  the  army.  When  quarters  in  kind  are  not  supplied  commu- 
tation is  allowed  therefor  at  the  rate  of  $12  per  month  per  room. 

According  to  the  new  schedule,  Admiral  Dewey  will  receive  pay  at  the* 
rate  of  $13,500  per  year,  regardless  of  whether  he  is  ashore  or  afloat.  While 
on  shore  duty  he  will  receive  in  addition,  a  monthly  commutation  allowance 
for  quarters  of  $125,  bringing  his  total  annual  pay  to  $15,000.  Rear- Admiral 
W.  S.  Schley,  as  one  of  the  nine  senior  rear-admirals,  will  receive  #7,500  a 
year  while  at  sea  or  on  foreign  service,  and  $6,375  while  on  shore  duty.  In 
addition  he  will  receive  an  allowance  for  quarters  when  on  shore  duty  amount- 


334  DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL. 

ing  to  $72  a  month,  thereby  making  his  annual  shore  pay  $7,239.  Each  of 
the  nine  junior  rear-admirals,  the  senior  of  whom  is  Rear-Admiral  W.  H. 
Sampson,  will  be  paid  $5,500  at  sea  and  $4,675  on  shore.  On  shore  duty  he 
will  also  receive  $60  a  month  for  quarters,  making  his  total  shore  pay  $5,395 
a  year.  Brigadier-General  Heywood,  commandant  of  the  marine  corps,  will 
receive  $5»5°°  a  year  and  the  allowance  of  a  brigadier-general  in  the  army. 

Among  the  many  honors  showered  on  Admiral  Devvey  is  a  diamond 
sword,  the  gift  of  the  nation,  which  is  here  fully  described  by  Tiffany  &  Co.. 
the  makers. 

The  design  for  the  sword  is  the  work  of  Mr.  Paulding  Farnham,  the 
chief  designer  and  manager  of  Tiffany  &  Co.'s  diamond-jewelry  manufactur- 
ing department.  Mr.  Farnham  is  also  a  member  of  a  number  of  art  societies 
in  New  York  and  Boston,  including  the  National  Sculpture  Society,  where 
his  exhibits  of  models  have  elicited  much  favorable  comment. 

Description  of  Dewey's  Sword. 

The  sword,  with  the  exception  of  the  steel  blade  and  the  body  metal  of 
the  scabbard,  is  made  entirely  of  22-karat  gold.  On  the  pommel  is  carved 
the  name  of  the  battleship,  "  Olympia,"  and  the  zodiacal  sign  for  December, 
the  month  of  Admiral  Dewey's  birth.  Circling  these,  there  is  a  closely-woven 
wreath  of  oak  leaves,  the  standard  decoration  for  rank.  Continuing  down, 
the  metal  work  giving  the  proper  form,  is  a  gold  collar,  on  the  front  of  which 
are  the  arms  of  the  United  States  with  the  blue  field  of  the  shield  in  enamel, 
and  below  them  are  the  arms  of  Vermont,  the  Admiral's  native  State,  with  the 
motto,  "  Freedom  and  Unity,"  and  the  colors  of  the  shield  in  enamel.  Stars 
serve  to  decorate  the  plain  part  of  the  collar,  and  a  graceful  finish  is  given  to 
this  part  of  the  hilt  by  a  narrow  band  of  oak  leaves.  The  grip  is  covered 
with  fine  sharkskin  bound  with  gold  wire  and  inlaid  with  gold  stars. 

The  guard  is  composed  of  a  conventional  eagle,  terminating  in  a  claw 
clasping  the  top,  indicating  "  control  and  confidency;"  the  outspread  wings 
form  the  guard  proper.  The  expression  of  the  eagle  is  one  of  cool  determina- 
tion, and,  while  firm,  still  bearing  a  message  of  peace  in  the  laurel-wreath 
held  in  the  beak.  The  wreath  serves  as  a  protection,  covering  the  point  o* 
the  beak,  and  at  the  same  time  preserves  the  proper  outlines  of  the  guard. 

The  scabbard  is  of  thin  steel,  damascened  in  gold  with  sprays  of  roy 
marinus,  a  delicate  sea  plant,  signifying  fidelity,  Constance,  and  remembrance 
The  sprays  are  interlaced  in  the  form  of  a  series  of  cartouches,  with  a  star  in 
the  centre  of  each,  while  dolphins  fill  the  outer  spaces.  Sprays  of  oak  leaves 
and  acorns  secure  the  rings  and  trappings  of  the  scabbard ;  above  these,  on 
the  front  of  the  scabbard,  is  a  raised  monogram  in  brilliants  (diamonds), 


DEWEY   CREATED   AN   ADMIRAL.  335 

entwining  the  letters  "  G.  D.,"  and   immediately  under  them  are  the  letters 
"  U.  S.  N.,"  surrounded  by  sprays  of  ros  marinus.     The  ferrule  or  lower  end 
of  the  scabbard  terminates  in  entwined  gold  dolphins. 
The  sword-blade  is  damascened  with  the  incription : 

THE  GIFT  OF  THE  NATION 
TO  REAR-ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY,  U.  S.  N., 

IN  MEMORY  OF  THE 

VICTORY  AT  MANILA  BAY, 

MAY  1ST,   1898. 

The  letters  are  of  an  ornamental  character,  and  sufficiently  large  to  be 
dignified.  The  Phoenician  galley,  representing  the  first  craft  of  the  navies  of 
the  world,  supplies  the  rest  of  the  ornament  on  this  side  of  the  blade.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  blade  is  shown  the  flight  of  the  eagles  of  victory,  bear- 
ing festoons  of  laurel  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth. 

The  mounting  of  the  belt  and  the  trappings  are  regulation  buckles, 
pierced  slide  rings  and  swivels,  all  of  22-karat  gold,  and  ornamented  with  the 
oak  leaves  and  acorns.  The  bullion  tassel  and  embroidered  belting  was 
specially  made,  and  much  superior  to  that  usually  employed. 

The  Nation's  Gift  through  Congress. 

The  Sword  of  Honor  to  be  presented  to  Rear-Admiral  Dewey  was 
authorized  by  the  joint  resolution  of  Congress,  approved  June  3,  1898,  and, 
in  response  to  the  publication  of  the  resolution,  a  great  many  designs  were 
submitted  from  all  over  the  country ;  in  fact,  some  came  from  abroad.  The 
committee  consisted  of  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Charles  H.  Allen ; 
United  States  Senator  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  of  Massachusetts,  who  introduced 
the  joint  resolution  ;  and  Professor  Marshal  Oliver,  of  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy,  Annapolis,  Md.  The  vote  was  taken  by  mail,  the  designs  submitted 
being  sent  by  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  the  other  members  of 
the  committee  as  rapidly  as  they  were  received  at  the  Navy  Department,  and 
the  vote  was  unanimous  for  the  Tiffany  design. 

The  admiral  was  also  the  recipient  of  an  elegant  piece  of  bronze  work. 
It  was  selected  by  J.  Ackerman  Coles,  A.  B.,  M.  D.,  of  New  Jersey,  for 
presentation  to  the  Hero  of  Manila.  The  bronze  symbolizes  the  two  nations 
in  characteristic  representation. 

The  American  nation  is  emblemized  by  an  eagle  of  majestic  bearing. 
With  overshadowing  wings,  watching  and  ready  for  immediate  action,  it  rests 
upon  the  craggy  summit  of  a  rock,  which  bears  on  its  face  the  inscription, 
"  Commander  George  Dewey,  U.  S.  N.  The  Olympia,  the  Baltimore,  the 


336  DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL. 

Raleigh,  the  Boston,  the  Concord,  the  Petrel,  the  McCulloch."  Stretched 
over  a  mass  of  other  insulated  rocks  in  front  and  at  the  foot  of  the  crag  lies 
the  quarry,  a  dead  heron,  symbolizing  Spain  and  the  present  condition  of  her 
power  over  the  Philippine  Islands,  the  twelve  feathers  in  the  tail  of  the  bird 
tallying  with  the  number  of  vessels  constituting  the  Spanish  fleet,  including 
the  water  battery,  destroyed  or  completely  disabled  in  the  harbor  of  Manila, 
May  1st,  2d,  3d  and  4th. 

The  allegorical  group  is  of  bronze,  and  is  the  work  of  the  eminent  French 
sculptor  and  artist,  Antoine  Louis  Barye  (1795-1875),  a  contemporary  of  the 
immortal  Lafayette.  He  was  an  officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  etc.,  etc.  His  allegorical  statues  and  fig- 
ures in  the  Museum  of  the  Louvre,  Paris,  and  in  the  Corcoran  Gallery,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  attest  the  accuracy  of  his  anatomical  knowledge  and  his  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  habits  of  animals  and  birds.  In  the  execution  of  this 
characteristic  group,  Barye  seems  to  have  worked  with  prophetic  foreknowl- 
edge to  memorialize  in  bronze  an  Olympian  victory  unparalleled  in  history. 

The  eagle  recalls  the  masterpiece  of  Phidias  in  the  temple  of  Jupiter  at 
Olympia  and  the  Olympian  games  of  ancient  Greece ;  for  the  Jove-bird,  proud 
of  its  ancestral  history,  is  supposed  to  have  flown  direct  from  the  sacred  olive 
grove  near  the  temple  on  the  Plain  of  Elis  to  where  it  could  keep  guard  over 
and  crown  as  victors  the  heroes  of  the  Olympia  and  her  sister-ships  while 
afloat  on  the  treacherous  waters  of  the  Heron. 

Of  all  birds,  says  Pliny,  the  eagle  is  the  most  noble.  Caius  Marius 
assigned  the  eagle  exclusively  to  the  Roman  legions.  The  heron,  on  the  con- 
trary, is  reputed  ignoble  and  cruel,  using  its  dagger-like  bill  upon  friend  and 
foe  to  torture  rather  than  to  slay.  According  to  the  English  naturalist  J.  G. 
Wood,  a  tame  heron,  upon  being  placed  in  an  aviary  with  five  owls,  totally 
blinded  four  and  destroyed  one  eye  of  the  fifth. 

"  The  great  heart  of  our  nation,"  says  President  McKinley,  "  throbs,  not 
with  boasting  or  greed  of  conquest,  but  with  deep  gratitude  that  this  triumph 
has  come  in  a  just  cause,  and  that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  an  effectual  step  has 
thus  been  taken  toward  the  attainment  of  the  wished-for  peace." 

Among  the  many  poetical  effusions  called  out  by  Dewey's  fame  the  fol- 
lowing is  worthy  of  special  notice : 

Dewey  were  His  Name. 

He  come  an'  raised  his  flag  aboard  the  ship, 
An'  mentioned  how  that  Dewey  were  his  name. 

He  didn't  have  no  great  amount  o'  lip, 
But  what  he  said  he  meant  it,  jist  the  same. 


DEWEY  CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL.  33T 

He  put  us  thro1  maneuvers  short  an'  long, 

An*  kep'  us  at  sub-caliber,  betweens, 
Until  we  come  to  anchor  at  Hong  Kong, 

An*  got  our  orders  for  the  Philippines. 

Then  this  'ere  Dewey  struck  a  pow'ful  gait, 

An'  mentioned  how  that  somethin'  had  ter  dropj 
He  kep'  the  colliers  workin'  soon  an'  late, 

An*  every  blessed  Jackie  on  the  hop ; 
An'  w'en  'e  got  'is  bunkers  chock-a-block, 

W'y,  then  he  up  an'  filled  his  magazines, 
An'  tol'  'em  w'en  they  asked  him  wot's  o'clock, 

"  A  little  game  of  Spanish  Philippines  1  " 

So  on  we  went  a-creepin'  thro'  the  night, 

Not  knowin'  whereabout  that  we  was  at; 
With  every  barker  stripped  in  trim  for  fight, 

And  every  blessed  Jackie  standin'  pat. 
An'  w'en  the  mornin'  broke,  w'y,  there  we  lay, 

Lined  up,  each  crew  a-standin'  to  its  gun, 
Right  in  the  middle  o'  Manila  Bay — 

Old  Glory  gleaming  pretty  in  the  sun. 

There  weren't  no  time  ter  talk  about  it  then, 

For  Spain  cut  loose  her  iron  in  a  shower, 
An'  powder  monkeys  turned  to  fightin'  men, 

An'  fightin'  men  to  devils  in  an  hour. 
'Tvvere  just  one  awful  crashin',  tearin'  roar, 

That  seemed  like  it  were  bustin'  o'  yer  brain, 
Along  with  shrieks  of  Yankee  shells  that  bore 

A  message  labelled  :  "  Don't  forget  the  Maine! f 

Lor'  bless  us,  but  it  were  a  proper  sight, 

Them  ships  an'  forts  a-spittin'  shot  and  shell, 
An'  Dewey,  lookin'  pleasant  and  perlite, 

Requestin'  from  the  bridge  to  "  give  'em  hell." 
An'  w'en  we  gits  the  order  to  retire, 

An*  waits  until  the  smudge  has  blowed  away, 
Their  ships  as  wasn't  sinkiri'  was  afire, 

An'  Uncle  Sam  were  master  of  the  bay. 

So,  mates,  these  words  is  all  I've  got  to  say, 

I  says  'em,  an'  I  means  'em,  every  one ; 
They  ain't  no  other  man  alive  to-day, 

Would  tried  to  do  wot  Dewey  tried  and  done; 


DEWEY  CREATED  AN  ADMIRAL. 

We  knows  it,  us  as  sweat  behind  his  guns ; 

They  knows  it,  them  as  writes  the  scroll  of  fame, 
An'  w'en  they  tells  o'  heroes  to  our  sons, 

W'y,  mates,  they'll  head  the  list  with  Dewey 's  name. 

— Manila  Times. 

General  Merritt's  personal  impressions  of  Dewey  are  embodied  in  the 
following  from  a  letter  written  shortly  after  the  general's  return  from  the 
Philippines : 

"  My  first  glimpse  of  Admiral  Dewey  was  caught  when,  toward  the  close 
of  last  July,  I  reached  Manila.  He  came  to  meet  me  in  his  launch  as  soon  as 
we  entered  the  bay  and  took  me  aboard  the  Olympia,  where  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  lunch  while  making  acquaintance.  I  found  him  a  very  genial,  like- 
able man,  quiet,  modest,  shrewd,  observant,  alert  and  tactful.  He  had  com- 
pletely won  the  hearts  of  the  foreigners  at  Manila. 

"  I  entered  Manila  Bay  at  the  same  time  in  the  morning  as  Dewey  had 
entered  it,  and  as  I  saw  the  channel  lying  in  the  first  gleams  of  the  morning  sun,  I 
could  well  appreciate  the  superlative  boldness  of  the  dash  which  he  made  over 
a  channel  which  was  supposed  to  have  been  mined,  and  ought  to  have  been 
mined,  to  attack  a  fleet  which,  on  paper  at  least,  was  as  strong  as  his  own,  and 
which  lay  under  the  guns  of  strong  forts.  The  thing  was  unprecedented, 
and  I  felt  that  the  admiral  deserves  all  the  honor  that  the  people  are 
disposed  to  give  him. 

Trouble  Looming  on  the  Horizon. 

"  One  of  the  first  things  Admiral  Dewey  said  to  me  was: 

" '  I  have  been  walking  the  deck  worrying  night  after  night.  You  can  do 
that  now.' 

"  He  told  me  that  the  Germans  had  behaved  very  nastily,  aivj  that  Aguin- 
aldo  was  beginning  to  show  the  cloven  hoof.  The  coming  of  the  troops  was 
a  great  relief  to  his  mind. 

"When  I  left  the  islands  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  August  last,  Admiral 
Dewey  was  in  good  health,  as  he  was  all  the  time  I  was  there.  He  was  quite 
hearty,  and  there  was  no  sign  of  the  breaking  down  which  was  rumored  in 
this  country.  He  told  me  that  he  wanted  to  stay.  I  wouldn't  like  to  say  that 
he  was  afraid  of  being  lionized,  but  he  is  a  modest  man.  He  is  the  man  for 
the  place,  and  his  staying  is  certainly  a  good  thing  for  the  nation." 

Among  the  volunteer  officers  of  the  United  States  Army  in  the  Philip- 
pines, was  a  captain  in  a  California  regiment,  whose  mustache  was  phenomena' 
in  its  bushiness.  It  spread  over  his  features  from  his  eyes  to  his  lower  jaws 
and  reached  back  to  his  ears.  While  ashore  one  day  the  admiral  saw  thL 


£>EWEY  CREATED  AN  ADMIRAL.  339 

captain  at  short  range,  and  his  keen  gray  eyes  shone  with  unusual  brilliancy 
as  he  turned  to  a  brother  officer  and  quietly  remarked: 

"  It  isn't  fair  to  fight  the  Spaniards  with  that  officer." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that,  admiral  ?  " 

"  He's  in  ambush  all  the  time,"  was  the  reply,  and  the  admiral's  joke  had 
circulated  throughout  the  whole  fleet  before  night. 

Soon  after  Major-General  Merritt  arrived  at  Manila  he  began  to  expe- 
rience trouble  with  the  insurgents.  Aguinaldo  was  not  disposed  to  pay  much 
heed  to  the  general's  orders,  and  the  general  complicated  matters  more  or  less 
by  endeavoring  to  avoid  any  clashing  of  the  American  with  the  insurgent 
forces.  The  situation  was  becoming  somewhat  strained,  when  General  Merritt 
sought  a  conference  with  Admiral  Dewey  on  the  Olympia.  The  general  and 
the  admiral  discussed  the  situation  at  great  length,  the  former  giving  special 
attention  to  the  question  of  jurisdiction  in  the  Philippines.  At  last  General 
Merritt  put  this  question  to  the  admiral : 

"Admiral,  how  far,  in  your  opinion,  does  your  jurisdiction  extend  on  the 
island  ?  " 

Admiral  Dewey  took  two  short  turns  on  the  quarter-deck  before  answer- 
ing. Then  he  said : 

"  General,  my  jurisdiction  extends  from  as  close  to  shore  as  I  can  move 
these  flat  irons,"  pointing  to  the  American  fleet, "  to  as  far  into  the  island  as  I 
can  throw  a  shell." 

Bronze  Medals  for  the  Heroes  of  Manila. 

As  a  further  expression  of  our  country's  appreciation  of  the  gallant 
exploits  of  Dewey's  squadron  Congress  ordered  1, 600  bronze  medals  for  pre- 
sentation to  the  officers  and  men. 

The  resolution  authorizing  the  medals  was  offered  by  United  States  Sen- 
ator Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  Massachusetts,  and  was  agreed  to  without  debate. 
It  read  as  follows  : 

"  That  the  secretary  of  the  navy  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  to  present 
a  sword  of  honor  to  Commodore  Dewey  and  to  cause  to  be  struck  bronze 
medals  commemorating  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay,  and  to  distribute  such 
medals  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  ships  of  the  Asiatic  squadron,  under 
command  of  Commodore  George  Dewey,  on  May  I,  1898,  and  that  to  enable 
the  secretary  to  carry  out  this  resolution  the  sum  of  $10,000  is  hereby  appro- 
priated." 

The  medal  was  designed  and  modelled  by  Daniel  C.  French,  the  well- 
known  New  York  sculptor.  Tiffany  &  Co.  cut  the  dies  and  made  the 
medals.  The  feature  of  the  obverse  is  a  fine  profile  head  of  Commodore 


340  DEWEY   CREATED   AN  ADMIRAL. 

Dewey,  showing  also  the  epaulets  and  part  of  his  coat  in  naval  dress.  Sur- 
rounding the  head,  in  clear,  distinct  raised  lettering  appears  the  following 
legend : 

THE    GIFT    OF   THE   PEOPLE    OF   THE 

UNITED    STATES    TO    THE 
OFFICERS    AND    MEN    OF    THE   ASIATIC    SQUADRON, 

UNDER    THE 
COMMAND  OF  COMMODORE  GEORGE  DEWEY. 

Immediately  under  the  inscription,  at  the  right,  is  an  anchor  in  a  wreath 
of  laurel,  and  a  star,  indicative  of  the  rank  of  commodore.  The  name  of  the 
sculptor  is  at  the  left  just  below  the  epaulet.  On  the  reverse  side  of  the 
medal  is  a  figure  of  an  American  sailor,  "the  man  behind  the  gun,"  symbol- 
izing victory,  seated  on  a  cannon  and  holding  a  flag  across  the  lap.  Around 
the  border  forming  a  frame  to  the  figure,  are  the  words  : 

IN    MEMORY    OF    MANILA    BAY,    MAY    I,     1898, 

and  beneath  it,  on  a  tablet,  appears  the  name  of  the  ship  to  which  the 
recipient  was  attached.  The  medal  to  be  presented  to  Admiral  Dewey  will 
bear  the  name  of  his  flagship,  U.  S.  S.  Olympia.  The  recipient's  name  is 
engraved  around  the  edge  of  the  medal. 

The  medal  is  suspended  from  a  bar,  the  decorations  of  which  consist  of 
an  eagle  with  outstretched  wings,  an  American  shield,  laurel  wreath  of  vic- 
tory, and  sword  of  Justice,  effectively  grouped,  with  the  waves  of  the  sea  for  a 
background.  The  silk  ribbon  at  the  base  of  the  medal  consists  of  three 
stripes,  two  navy  blue  with  the  Spanish  yellow  in  the  centre,  signifying  that 
the  yellow  has  been  vanquished  by  the  blue.  Each  medal  is  fitted  in  a  hand- 
some leather  case,  covered  with  fine  (Spanish  color)  leather. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Heroes  of  the  Battlefield, 

EFERENCE  has  been  made  in  a  preceding  chapter  to  the  daring 
exploits  of  Colonel  Funston  in  the  campaign  against  the  Filipino 
insurgents.    The  reader  will  be  eager  to  obtain  some  account  of  the 
man  whose  brave  deeds  thrilled  his  countrymen  with  admiration, 
and  gained  for  him  promotion  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

Fancy  a  little  man,  with  a  slight  limp,  a  little  man  who  weighs  less  than 
one  hundred  pounds,  and  is  under  five  feet  four,  a  little  man  with  a  Van  Dyke 
beard  and  a  sense  of  humor  that  bubbles  in  him  like  the  effervescence  of  wine, 
and  you  have  the  exterior  picture  of  Colonel  Funston,  of  the  Twelfth  Kansas, 
the  man  who  glorified  the  army  in  his  famous  charge  at  Malolos,  and  who 
was  a  credit  to  the  navy  by  his  swimming  feats  before  Calumpit. 

Fancy  a  man  who  hates  shams,  who  jeers  at  pomp  and  circumstance,  who 
loves  to  sit  in  his  shirt  sleeves  in  the  wilderness  reading  Kipling,  who  is  im- 
pulsive, generous  and  always  kind,  who  avoids  the  forms,  functions  and 
punctilities  of  this  world  as  he  would  shun  a  pestilence,  fancy  a  merry  heart 
that  takes  nothing  seriously  save  the  good-will  of  a  friend  and  the  honor  of 
his  country,  fancy  Cyrano  de  Bergerac  minus  his  bluster  and  the  Gadfly  with' 
out  his  sting,  rolled  into  one  body  thirty-three  years  old  and  given  a  wander- 
ing foot  that  has  taken  him  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  to  the  tropics  finding 
adventure,  and  you  have  a  picture  of  the  happy,  courageous,  knightly  soul  of 
the  little  Kansas  colonel  who  won  fame  by  deeds  of  thrilling  bravery  in  the 
far-away  Philippines. 

Fred  Funston  went  from  the  farm  on  Deer  Creek,  Alien  County,  Kansas, 
to  the  State  University  of  Kansas  in  the  year  1885.  He  remained  in  the  uni- 
versity off  and  on  for  five  years.  He  was  a  round  faced  fellow,  full  of  fun  and 
of  the  type  that  instructors  yearn  to  punish,  for  the  levity  that  he  bred  in 
the  class-room.  If  Funston  ever  got  a  grade  above  eighty-five  in  any  study 
the  instructor  who  gave  that  grade  will  have  to  answer  for  a  great  crime;  for 
his  sin  of  silence  has  established  for  Funston  a  record  of  unbroken  scholastic 
mediocrity  that  has  been  rarely  equalled  in  that  jurisdiction.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  fraternity — the  fraternity  which  ex-President 
Benjamin  Harrison  helped  to  establish  in  old  Miami  University  half  a  century 
ago,  and  vvhich  counted  among  its  members  Eugene  Field,  ex- Vice-President 

341 


342  HEROES   OF   THE   BATTLEFIELD. 

Stevenson,  and  Senator  Blackburn — and  Stephen  Crane,  of  these  latter  days. 
Funston  gave  more  attention  to  his  fraternity  than  he  did  to  his  books,  and  it 
is  a  matter  of  fraternity  record  that  he  broke  four  chairs  learning  to  waltz  with 
them. 

On  festal  occasions  Funston  grew  solemn  and  melancholy,  and  felt  called 
upon  to  go  forth  without  hilarity  and  ribaldry,  but  in  terrible  earnest,  and  tear 
up  the  board  sidewalks  of  the  town  of  Lawrence,  because  he  deemed  their 
presence  dangerous  to  the  public  welfare.  Because  he  was  small  of  stature 
he  mocked  athletics  into  disfavor  while  he  was  in  school ;  he  was  the  maker 
of  nicknames,  the  dictionary  of  mirth.  Years  have  elapsed  since  he  called 
the  Greek  professor  "  Zeus,"  and  the  auburn  hair  of  the  professor  whom  Fun- 
ston called  "Old  Sunset"  has  turned  gray;  "Purple  Whiskers"  have  lost 
their  lustre,  but  the  names  still  stick,  and  afford  comfort  and  solace  to  those 
unfortunate  students  who  flunk  in  the  departments  where  these  dignitaries 
reign. 

Perhaps  the  shudder  of  horror  that  ran  through  the  faculty  at  the  men- 
tion of  Funston's  name  years  and  years  after  he  had  left  school  has  somewhat 
subsided,  but  it  is  likely  that  the  faculty  of  the  University  of  Kansas  can  come 
more  nearly  knowing  how  Aguinaldo  feels  than  all  the  Anti-imperialistic 
Leagues  in  this  broad  and  patriotic  land. 

Always  a  Great  Reader. 

Funston  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  university  library,  reading  what- 
ever his  hands  could  find,  of  the  fiction  of  war  and  the  poetry  of  romance. 
Early  in  life  he  had  the  prairie  boy's  knowledge  of  every  sort  and  condition  of 
fire-arm  in  the  hardware  store.  He  had  a  Yankee  knack  for  screws  and  bolts 
and  nuts,  and  could  tinker.  This  knowledge  is  as  much  a  part  of  every  far- 
mer boy's  education  as  the  knowledge  of  the  points  of  the  compass.  The 
farm  is  a  manual  training  school ;  it  also  teaches  individual  initiative,  and 
many  of  the  recent  military  exploits  of  Funston  before  Caloocan  and  Malolos 
and  Calumpit  are  merely  out-croppings  of  the  farmer  boy's  training  to 
go  ahead,  and  not  go  clear  across  the  field  arid  back  to  the  house  for 
orders. 

During  his  off  years — the  years  when  he  earned  money  to  attend  the 
university  the  next  year — he  turned  his  talents  to  various  and  profitable 
account,  and  he  accumulated  the  capital  of  experience  which  he  afterward 
invested  in  glory.  For  instance,  in  1888,  an  off  school  year,  he  became  a 
Santa  Fe  train  collector.  At  different  times  his  route  lay  all  the  way  from 
Kansas  City  to  Albuquerque,  and  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Among  his 
Mher  duties  was  that  of  "  train  bouncer."  He  weighed  little  more  than  one 


HEROES   OF   THE   BATTLEFIELD.  343 

hundred  pounds  then,  but  that  didn't  stand  in  the  way  of  his  success  as  a 
Bouncer.  The  record  of  his  grit  is  still  in  the  clogged  Supreme  Court  of 
Kansas,  where  damage  suits  against  the  Santa  Fe  are  "  awaiting  the  judg- 
ment day." 

After  a  peaceful  year  in  the  university  Funston  longed  for  something  less 
monotonous  than  encounters  with  cowboys,  and  sought  to  satisfy  the  lust  in 
his  soul  for  excitement  by  going  into  the  newspaper  business. 

He  had  never  been  in  a  city  newspaper  office,  when,  by  the  force  of  sheer 
audacity,  he  asked  a  Kansas  City  city  editor  for  a  place  and  got  a  probational 
job.  Luck  brought  him  a  beat  on  which  the  first  day  convinced  the  city 
editor  that  Funston  was  a  phenominal  reporter.  When  a  letter  came  from  a 
man  in  Fort  Smith  to  the  newspaper  office  asking  for  the  city  editor  to  send 
him  a  first-class  man  to  take  care  of  a  country  daily,  Funston  went.  He  didn't 
know  any  more  about  a  country  daily  than  he  knew  about  the  climate  of  Mars, 
but  he  tackled  it. 

Found  It  Convenient  to  Leave. 

When  the  United  States  District  Court  met  at  Fort  Smith,  Funston 
started  in  to  take  sides  in  a  murder  case,  and  Judge  Parker,  the  famous  hang- 
ing judge,  who  has  sentenced  over  a  hundred  murderers  to  death,  called  Fun- 
ston into  his  study  one  evening,  ostensibly  to  talk  about  the  case  in  question. 
The  judge  opened  the  conversation  by  telling  Mr.  Funston  in  confidence  that 
journalism  wasn't  his  profession,  and  closed  the  incident  by  intimating  that 
the  climate  of  Arkansas  was  very,  very  unhealthy  at  that  particular  season. 
Not  desiring  to  go  to  jail  for  contempt,  Funston  got  out  of  town  on  a  night 
train,  and  the  owner  of  the  paper  found  a  new  man  the  next  morning. 

But  Funston  had  enough  money  saved  up  to  go  to  school  another  year, 
and  so  went  back  to  the  university.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  took  the  civil- 
service  examination,  and  got  a  place  in  the  Agricultural  Department  at  Wash- 
ington, and  was  sent  to  Montana  and  the  Dakotas  making  a  botanical  collec- 
tion of  grasses.  After  that  he  joined  the  Government  expedition  that  made 
the  first  official  survey  of  Death  Valley,  the  famous  California  death-trap. 

The  rigors  of  this  undertaking  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Fun- 
ston, the  youngest  member  of  the  expedition,  is  the  only  one  alive  and  sane 
to-day.  After  the  work  in  Death  Valley  was  completed,  Funston  made  one 
;>f  the  party  of  five  that  effected  the  first  "  back-door  "  entrance  into  Yosemite, 
Valley  down  the  sheer  sides  of  the  mountains.  In  the  winter  of  1891-2  his' 
man's  work  began  when  the  Government  sent  him  to  Alaska  to  make  a  botani- 
cal survey  of  certain  parts  of  the  coast.  Later,  in  1893,  he  returned  to  Alaska 
to  make  a  botanical  survey  of  the  Yukon  River. 


344  HEROES   OF   THE   BATTLEFIELD. 

Now,  the  trail  over  Chilicoot  Pass  is  as  familiar  as  the  walk  [along 
Broadway.  But  in  1893  the  Pass  was  known  only  to  Indian  guides,  and  its 
devious  ways  had  been  found  only  by  the  feet  of  a  few  daring  miners  and 
fugitives  from  society.  Then  it  was  that  Funston  and  two  miners  went  up 
the  Pass  and  over  to  the  Yukon.  The  Indian  guides  struck  one  day,  and 
Funston  tells  about  it  in  one  of  his  letters  : 

"  The  Indians  carried  the  loads,  while  we  dragged  the  empty  sleds  and 
did  the  swearing.  The  snow  fell  incessantly  for  five  days,  and  it  lay  along 
our  route  from  five  to  fifty  feet  deep.  It  was  day  after  day  of  wallowing  and 
struggling  through  snow  as  we  worked  our  way  gradually  upward  to  the 
summit  of  the  range.  One  cheerful  little  diversion  occurred  on  the  second 
day.  The  low-browed  ex-cannibal,  who  was  chief  packer,  and  seemed  to 
have  charge  of  the  other  Indians,  threw  his  load  into  the  snow,  and  announced 
that,  unless  their  pay  was  materially  increased,  he  and  the  other  packers 
would  get  themselves  back  to  the  village,  and  thus  leave  us  in  a  pretty  pickle. 

"  My  temper  had  been  at  white  r^eat  all  day,  and  without  thinking  what 
might  be  the  consequences  of  such  a  move,  like  a  fool,  I  shoved  the  muzzle 
of  a  cocked  Winchester  into  the  face  of  the  Advisory  Committee  of  that 
strike,  and  the  way  that  the  Most  Serene  Grand  Master  of  the  Amalgamated 
Order  of  Chilcoot  Salmon  Biters  re-shouldered  his  sack  of  beans  and  tugged 
along  through  the  broad  expanse  of  the  beautiful  snow  shows  that  it  is  some- 
times a  good  thing  for  every  well-regulated  family  to  have  a  gun  in  the 
house.'7 

In  the  Alaska  Gold  Fields. 

He  went  down  the  Yukon  to  the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine  River,  where 
he  left  the.  miners,  and  went  up  the  Porcupine  to  Rampart  House,  an  aban- 
doned Hudson  Bay  company's  trading  post  situated  far  to  the  north  of  the 
Arctic  circle,  where  the  Porcupine  River  crosses  the  eastern  boundary  of 
Alaska.  Here  Funston  and  a  missionary  named  Pratty  spent  the  winter. 

When  the  Indians  brought  rumors  that  a  North  American  whaling  fleet 
was  being  crushed  to  pieces  in  the  ice  off  the  Arctic  Ocean  some  two  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  northward,  Funston  beguiled  an  old  Indian  into  starting  on 
the  journey  to  the  ocean  with  him  on  snow  shoes.  It  was  two  hundred  miles 
as  the  crow  flies,  but  Funston  and  the  Indian  got  lost  and  went  four  hundred 
miles  out  of  their  way.  After  running  out  of  food  and  starving  for  two  days, 
Funston  and  the  Indian  picked  the  dog  in  the  pack  train  that  would  make  the 
best  pot-pie.  But  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  they  came  upon  a  band  of 
Indian  hunters  carrying  fresh  caribou  to  the  fleet. 

When  Funston  came  up  to  the  ships  with  the  Indians  he  found  the  slory 
of  the  destruction  of  the  fleet  a  fiction.  A  great  crowd  of  the  men  from  the- 


HEROES   OF   THE   BATTLEFIELD.  345 

fleet  was  watching  a  ball  game  on  the  ice,  and  when  Funston,  in  his  Esquimo 
dress,  spoke  to  a  captain  of  one  of  the  whalers  in  English  there  was  a  whal- 
ing captain  who  refused  to  believe  his  eyes  and  his  ears,  and  Funston  was 
obliged  to  show  his  government  commission. 

Then  that  captain  took  Funston  to  his  cabin,  and  called  another  captain, 
and  they  learned  two-year-old  news  until  they  were  glutted.  Here  the  tempter 
whispered  something  to  the  first  captain  and  he  whispered  it  to  the  second 
'captain,  and  together  they  persuaded  Funston  to  allow  them  to  fill  the  flowing 
bowl  until  it  ran  over  several  consecutive  times.  And  subsequent  proceedings 
interested  Mr.  Funston  no  more  for  several  hours  thereafter.  Whereupon  the 
tempter  and  the  two  captains  went  out  and  set  about  their  devices.  What  they 
did  and  what  they  told  made  Funston's  coming  to  that  fleet  a  greater  sensa- 
tion than  anything  he  will  ever  do  in  the  Philippines. 

For  the  tempter  spoke  these  things  through  the  mouths  of  the  captains  to 
men  who  had  been  away  from  home  for  three  long  years.  England  and 
Russia  have  united  and  declared  war  against  the  United  States.  New  York 
City  is  captured ;  San  Francisco  is  being  bombarded  ;  Russian  troops  are 
coming  through  Siberia  to  Alaska,  and  down  through  British  America  to 
Chicago ;  the  owners  of  the  North  American  whaling  fleet  have  paid  this 
white  man  ten  thousand  dollars  to  bring  this  word  :  "  Go  north  as  soon  as  the 
ice  breaks ;  push  north ;  stay  north,  as  far  north  as  the  ice  will  permit,  for 
two  years  or  until  peace  has  been  declared.  Also  avoid  communicating  with 
other  ships." 

Journey  of  Nine  Hundred  Miles. 

What  is  the  little  matter  of  swimming  a  tropical  torrent  under  fire  as 
compared  with  bringing  news  like  this,  and  being  sound  asleep  and  locked  in 
a  captain's  cabin  when  it  strikes  three  hundred  homesick  Yankees  who  want 
to  go  home  and  fight  ?  Funston  will  never  again  in  his  life  make  the  sensa- 
tion he  made  in  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Nor  will  the  tempter  and  two  captains  ever 
have  so  much  fun  over  him.  When  he  returned  to  Rampart  House  he  had 
made  a  journey  of  900  miles  in  the  dark  night  of  Arctic  winter.  Peary's 
famous  journey  was  made  in  an  Arctic  summer,  and  it  was  not  so  long  as 
Funston's,  either. 

When  summer  dawned  Funston  took  up  his  kit  and  left  Rampart  House 
and,  with  two  Indians,  came  down  the  Porcupine  to  the  Yukon.  There  Fun- 
ston left  the  Indians  and,  alone  in  an  open  boat,  drifted  down  the  length  of 
the  Yukon  to  its  mouth,  making  a  botanical  survey  of  the  country.  The 
pressed  flora  that  he  gathered  are  now  in  the  Agricultural  Department  at 
Washington.  And  his  report  is  a  matter  of  record.  He  was  picked  up  b> 


346  HEROES   OF  THE   BATTLEFIELD. 

)ne  revenue  cutter  Bear  and  came  home  in  the  fall  of  '94.  It  was  a  hard  trip. 
But  Funston  thought  nothing  of  it  and  was  too  busy  to  go  to  New  York  and 
get  fame. 

When  he  got  back  to  civilization  Funston  tried  to  establish  a  coffee  plan- 
tation in  Central  America,  and  lived  down  under  the  equator  for  a  few  months. 
Later  he  drifted  into  New  York,  and  was  made  assistant  auditor  of  the  Santa 
^e  Railroad  when  it  was  being  reorganized.  But  the  task  of  signing  his  name 
»»o  bonds  eight  hours  a  day  grew  irksome,  and  Funston  felt  what  he  thought 
was  his  life  call  to  duty,  and  in  August,  1896,  he  packed  his  kit  and  went  with 
a  filibustering  party  on  the  Dauntless  to  Cuba.  He  entered  the  Cuban  army 
under  Garcia.  He  was  with  Osgood  when  he  fell,  and  Funston  was  appointed 
to  Osgood's  place  and  rank  and  made  commandant  of  Cuban  artillery. 

Story  of  a  Dynamite  Gun. 

Now  Funston  didn't  know  anything  about  artillery  when  he  began,  but 
he  kept  his  ignorance  to  himself.  He  looked  over  the  guns  as  a  farm  boy 
looks  over  a  cultivator,  and  pulled  them  apart,  and  put  them  together  again 
and  then  went  out  to  fight.  Then  they  brought  him  a  dynamite  gun — the  first 
one  that  had  ever  been  used  in  actual  warfare.  This  is  his  story  of  it : 

"  Well,  I  looked  her  over  and  prodded  around  her  for  a  day  or  two  till  I 
found  from  the  printed  directions  that  came  with  her  which  end  was  the  shoot- 
ing end.  I  didn't  let  the  Cubans  know  that  I  was  scared,  but  I  was ;  we  got 
into  a  little  mix-up  one  day  and  the  old  man  sent  for  the  dynamite.  I  waltzed 
her  out,  kept  the  directions  in  my  head  as  well  as  I  could  and  loaded  her  up. 
When  the  order  came  I  sighted  her  and  let  her  go.  For  a  second  she  seemed 
to  wheeze;  it's  all  up  I  thought;  the  Cubans  ran;  but  I  didn't  dare  to;  it  was 
only  a  second  and  then  she  coughed  and  the  air  in  the  Spanish  fort  was  filled 
with  misfit  logs  and  debris,  and  I  knew  it  was  all  right.  I  turned  around  and 
grinned  like  the  cat  that  had  swallowed  the  canary,  and  no  one  knew  that  I 
had  just  finished  making  four  or  five  kinds  of  a  fool  of  myself.  After  they 
had  set  'em  up  in  the  other  alley  we  rolled  'em  again." 

Funston  was  wounded  three  times  in  Cuba,  once  through  an  arm,  once 
through  the  lungs,  and  once  his  horse  fell  upon  him,  fracturing  his  thigh. 
From  this  wound  he  was  lame  when  he  left  Kansas  with  the  Twentieth  last 
year.  He  came  home  from  Cuba  on  sick  leave;  he  had  an  order  from  Gar- 
cia to  the  President  of  the  Cuban  republic  for  his  parole,  but  he  was  captured 
by  the  Spaniards  while  making  his  way  across  country  to  get  the  order  honored- 

His  quick  wit  and  good  nerve  saved  him.  While  he  was  explaining  to 
his  Spanish  captors  that  he  was  coming  in  to  surrender  he  seemed  to  be  mop- 
ping his  face  with  his  handkerchief,  but  really  was  slipping  the  order  for  the 


HEROES   OF  THE   BATTLEFIELD.  347 

parole  from  the  handkerchief  into  his  mouth.  The  Spaniards  did  not  discover 
the  trick.  Funston  stuck  to  his  story  of  surrender  and  the  court-martial 
released  him.  General  Fitzhugh  Lee  fitted  him  out  with  his  passage  money 
and  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  Funston  struck  New  York  in  the  winter  of  1897- 
'98,  racked  with  fever,  broken  in  body,  and  discouraged  in  mind. 

This  is  briefly  the  Funston  that  they  knew  out  West,  when  the  war  broke 
out.  And  this  is  why  it  was  good  politics  for  Governor  Leedy  to  make  Fun- 
ston a  colonel.  He  did  not  apply  for  the  place,  and  did  not  accept  it  at  once. 
He  feared  that  he  did  not  have  military  training — though  he  had  experience- 
enough  to  do  the  work.  But  when  he  took  his  regiment  into  camp,  he  took 
up  the  gentle  art  of  soldiering,  and  learned  its  theory  as  well  as  one  can  in 
the  few  months  during  which  the  Kansas  boys  were  kept  in  the  United  States 
In  the  dull  time,  he  met  a  pretty  California  girl — Eda  Blankert- — and  at  the 
end  of  a  six  weeks'  acquaintance  married  her.  His  wedding  trip  was  a  short 
one,  and  a  few  hours  later  he  sailed  away  with  his  regiment. 

A  month  later  his  wife  followed  him  on  a  Hong  Kong  steamer,  and  the 
interrupted  honeymoon  began  in  the  Philippines,  just  before  the  battle. 
The  Kansas  boys  who  wrote  home  said  that  Funston  slept  and  ate  with  them 
on  the  firing  line,  that  he  was  not  in  his  tent  after  the  outbreak  began  in 
February.  He  was  their  idol.  His  lame  leg  did  not  keep  him  from  limping 
ahead  of  them  when  they  charged.  He  was  with  them  when  they  charged 
into  Caloocan.  He  was  the  first  white  soldier  to  enter  Malolos.  He  was  the 
first  American  officer  to  cross  the  river  at  Calumpit. 

Always  Known  to  be  a  Hero. 

The  people  of  the  Missouri  Valley  knew  that  he  was  a  hero  before  the 
vorld  found  it  out.  And  it  will  be  a  happy  day  when  the  young  man  comes 
4ome  with  stars  on  his  shoulders — back  to  Grisby's  Station,  where  he  "  used 
io  be  so  happy  and  so  poor  " — and  if  the  stars  are  not  on  his  shoulders  the 
laurels  will  be  on  his  brow,  and  Kansas,  although  a  Prohibition  State,  will  have 
a  celebration — when  Johnny  comes  marching  home. 

William  A.  DeFord,  an  attorney  of  Kansas  City,  and  formerly  a  promi- 
nent politician  of  eastern  Kansas,  furnishes  a  sketch  of  General  Funston,  the 
Kansas  fighter,  whose  name  has  been  written  high  on  the  scroll  of  fame,  and 
?vho  is  apotheosized  by  the  hero-worshiping  Americans. 

Mr.  DeFord  was  the  first  commissioned  officer  appointed  in  Kansas  at 
the  out-break  of  the  Spanish-American  war.  He  was  made  an  adjutant  and 
recruited  the  entire  Twentieth  Kansas  Regiment.  He  was  with  the  soldiers 
from  the  day  they  enlisted  to  the  close  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  when  he 
resigned  his  commission. 


348  HEROES   OF  THE   BATTI  EFIELD. 

He  accompanied  the  men  on  the  trying  trip  across  the  continent  to  San 
Francisco.  Here  they  arrived  in  ragged  and  torn  garments,  poorly  armed, 
and  many  walking  on  their  bare  feet.  Here  they  were  drilled,  trained  and 
disciplined  until  they  became  the  famous  Twentieth,  the  invincibles,  a  regiment 
which  has  had  few  equals  in  history.,  During  his  stay  in  San  Francisco,  Mr. 
DeFord  was  given  ample  opportunity  of  becoming  well  acquainted  with  Fun- 
ston.  He  gives  the  following  interesting  sketch  : 

"  Fred  Funston,  physically,  cannot  qualify  for  the  deification  which  the 
Kansas  people,  by  the  voice  of  the  press,  seem  ready  to  accord  him.  He  is 
short  and  slight.  His  face  is  tanned  with  the  sun  of  Cuba  and  the  winds  of 
the  Yukon.  His  beard  is  a  close,  scraggy  brown,  which  he  wears  in  the 
fashion  of  the  imperial.  The  face,  usually  mild  and  pleasing  in  its  expression, 
reflects  the  vagaries  of  his  feeling.  It  is  a  thunder-cloud  in  his  passion  of 
rage.  The  courage  of  the  man  finds  its  indicia  in  his  chin  and  jaw. 

"  The  thing  that  '  appeals '  about  Funston  is  his  human  quality.  His 
'honor'  did  not  rid  him  of  his  boyish  slang.  The  dignity  of  the  eagles  did 
not  take  from  him  the  prerogative  of  his  fine,  old-fashioned  anger-purging 
profanity.  He  believes,  I  think,  in  the  virtue  of  that  vice,  a?  many  another 
man  has.  This  human  quality  was,  in  the  first  days,  seen  the  most  often  in 
his  frank  boyishness.  When  the  colonel  of  the  Twentieth  was  lost  in  the 
'  Mike  '  of  his  college  friends,  then  it  was  that  he  would  have  his  joke, 
'  cut  up '  and  have  any  old  kind  of  a  good  time,  never  forgetting  to  see  to  it 
that  his  eagles,  as  the  Latin  book  says,  '  took  nothing  of  detriment.' 

Bold  and  Dashing  Officer. 

"Funston  is  a  scrapper.  The  fight  is  his  atmosphere.  He  is  not  the 
man  to  plan  battles — to  outline  campaigns.  He  is  pre-eminently  the  execu- 
tive scrapper — the  one  to  fight.  He  can  fight  with  words,  with  his  pen,  with 
his  fists,  and,  as  the  world  knows,  with  his  sword.  I  think  that  if,  in  Kansas, 
they  get  him  into  the  political  fighting  for  place,  they  will  find  him  still  a 
scrapper,  prone  to  knock  down  fancy  block  houses  and  demolish  fine-spun 
schemes,  and,  wcvrst  of  all,  not  the  man  to  be  used,  but  to  use.  The  office 
patriots  will  find  the  folly  that  was  theirs,  if  they  hope  to  climb  into  official 
honor  or  political  power  over  him,  if  he  wants  that  honor  or  that  power  for 
himself. 

"  The  only  'big  '  thing  about  Funston  is  his  courage.  His  mental  capa- 
city is  not  far  above  the  range  of  the  average.  He  is,  in  the  main,  honest  and 
sincere.  When  he  knows  that  he  has  been  unjust,  he  will  do  what  he  can  to 
right  a  wrong  that  he  has  done.  Never  before  has  his  measure  been  taker 
for  civic  honor.  I  am  inclined  to  doubt  that  he  will  permit  it  to  be  takeh 


HEROES  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELD. 


349 


now.  He  will  know,  perhaps,  of  the  selfishness  of  the  politicians  who  are 
now  frothing  with  his  praise.  He  will  know  that  their  praise  has,  in  a  meas- 
ure, been  forced  by  his  popularity  at  home." 

General  Funston  was  fortunate  in  not  losing  his  life,  although  with  reck- 
less daring  he  led  his  men  into  the  most  exposed  positions.  We  have  now 
to  tell  the  story  of  a  hero  who,  not  less  brave,  was  shot  down  in  battle,  and 
will  hereafter  be  honored  as  one  of  our  noblest  patriots. 

David  Stewart  Elliott,  captain  of  Company  G,  Twentieth  Kansas  Regi- 
ment, JJ.  S.  V.,  met  death  at 
Caloocan,  north  of  Manila,  in 
the  Philippine  Islands.  He  was 
shot  down  by  a  Filipino  sharp- 
shooter and  lived  only  a  short 
time  after  receiving  the  wound. 

Company  G,  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Twentieth  Kan- 
sas, left  Topeka,  May  16,  1898, 
for  San  Francisco.  After  the 
regiment  had  been  at  San  Fran- 
cisco for  awhile,  it  was  decided 
that  more  men  would  be  needed 
and  consequently  Captain  Elliott 
and  another  officer  were  sent 
back  to  Kansas  for  recruits. 
Captain  Elliott  reached  Coffey- 
ville  June  u,  and  spent  Sunday 
with  his  family — his  last  Sabbath 
at  home.  He  little  thought,  as 
he  stood  on  the  depot  platform 
bidding  his  loved  ones  farewell, 
that  he  would  never  return,  but  if  the  thought  had  been  in  mind,  he  would 
never  have  flinched.  To  him,  love  of  country  and  loyalty  to  the  flag 
were  potent  and  moving  impulses,  and  in  the  presence  of  them,  he  was 
inspired. 

In  the  history  of  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  published  in  1884,  the 
following  sketch  of  Captain  Elliott  is  found : 

"  David  Stewart  Elliott  was  born  near  the  Chalybeate  Springs,  in  Bed- 
ford township,  on  December  23,  1843.  His  early  educational  opportunities 
were  limited,  being  confined  to  a  short  attendance  in  the  common  schools ; 
but  a  love  of  learning  led  to  valiant  and  earnest  efforts  to  overcome  this 


CAPTAIN    DAVID   STEWART   ELLIOTT, 

Of  the  2oth  Kansas  U.  S.  V.,  who  was  killed  at 
the  Battle  of  Caloocan. 


SoO  HEROES  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELD. 

deficiency  by  self-culture.  At  the  age  of  13  the  subject  of  this  biography 
entered  a  store  in  Bedford  as  errand  boy;  but  in  less  than  a  year  his  employe* 
closed  his  business  and  young  Elliott  returned  to  farming,  his  former  occupa- 
tion. 

'*  In  September,  1858,  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Bedford  Gazette  to 
learn  the  printer's  trade.  Here  he  remained  until  April,  1861,  when  he 
enlisted  for  a  term  of  three  months  in  Capt.  John  H.  Filler's  Company  G,  of 
the  Thirteenth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  volunteers.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment  he  re-enlisted  for  three  years  in  Company  E,  Seventy-sixth 
Pennsylvania  volunteers,  in  which  he  served  until  near  the  close  of  the  war. 

"  After  his  discharge  from  the  service  Mr.  Elliott  accepted  a  position  as 
compositor  on  the  Bedford  Inquirer,  and  during  evenings  and  spare  time 
applied  himself  closely  to  general  reading  and  the  study  of  the  law.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1868,  he  became  part  owner  of  the  Bedford  County  Press,  removed  to 
Everett,  and  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the  paper.  February  9,  1869,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Bedford  County.  He  continued  as  editor  of  the 
Press  until  1873,  when  he  resigned  this  position  and  devoted  his  time  wholly 
to  law  business,  soon  establishing  a  large  practice. 

A  Popular  Editor. 

"On  January  I,  1 88 1,  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  owners  of  the  paper,  he 
became  the  editor  and  chief  manager  of  the  Everett  Press,  which  then  changed 
its  name  from  the  Bedford  County  Press  to  the  Everett  Press.  The  paper, 
under  his  able  management,  proved  prosperous  and  popular,  and  had  an 
important  influence  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  thriving  town  of  Everett. 

"  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  local  affairs,  particularly  in  schools,  and  is 
constantly  called  upon  to  accept  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  As  a 
public  speaker,  editor  and  lawyer  he  has  won  a  well-deserved  and  honorable 
reputation,  while  as  a  citizen  his  influence  is  felt  in  every  work  that  tends  to 
advance  the  best  interests  of  the  community." 

Captain  Elliott  removed  to  Kansas  in  1885,  became  a  prominent  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Coffeyville,  held  several  public  positions,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  when  the  Spanish-American  war  broke  out,  at 
which  time  he  raised  Company  G,  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Regiment,  and  led 
it  in  the  battles  around  Manila.  From  a  local  journal  we  take  the  following 
very  appreciative  tribute  to  Captain  Elliott : 

"  His  life  was  an  open  book ;  there  were  no  secret  corners  in  all  Lis 
career  which  will  not  bear  the  closest  scrutiny.  He  loved  men  and  manhood 
and  women  and  womanhood.  He  despised  the  false,  ignoble  and  hypocritical. 
He  stood  always  for  the  right,  and  every  cause  having  for  its  object  the  bet- 


MERGES  OF  THE  BATTLEFIELD.  35* 

terment  or  benefit  of  the  community  had  in  him  and  his  paper  a  strong  and 
earnest  advocate.  If  his  death  has  caused  general  sorrow  to  the  community 
what  must  be  the  pangs  of  grief  to  those  with  whom  he  lived?  His  family 
life  was  so  happy,  and  sweet  and  true  that  only  those  who  knew  him  as  hus- 
band and  father  can  fully  realize  what  death  has  done.  To  them  the  deepest 
sympathy  which  human  hearts  are  capable  of  is  extended,  in  the  hope  that 
consolation  may  lighten  their  sorrow.  They  do  not  weep  alone,  for  the  com- 
munity weeps  with  them. 

"  The  greatest  eulogy  that  can  be  pronounced  upon  a  human  being  is  to 
say  that  he  was  a  good  man.  Surely,  if  ever  mortal  deserved  such  encomium, 
this  veteran  commander  does.  To  him  death  was  not  the  end;  it  was  only 
the  beginning.  It  was  a  silent  transition  from  this  life  into  a  larger  one, 
where  the  soul  knows  no  bounds  and  manhood  reaches  toward  perfection. 
He  has  gone  to  his  reward,  but  his  memory  will  be  reverenced  long  after  the 
sod  has  been  rounded  up  over  his  narrow  couch  in  Elmwood  Cemetery. 

"  The  broad,  fraternal  spirit  of  the  deceased  was  shown  by  the  readiness 
with  which  he  entered  organizations  having  as  their  objects  provision  for  and 
care  of  the  widows  and  orphans,  or  anything  for  the  betterment  of  the  com- 
munity. He  stood  nobly  by  all  these,  but  his  home  was  never  neglected  nor 
overlooked.  That  was  the  centre  of  his  life  and  the  altar  at  which  he  wor- 
shiped. His  letters  from  the  front  were  always  designed  to  relieve  his  wife 
and  children  of  any  anxiety  they  had  about  his  welfare.  His  home  life  was 
so  precious  that  its  memory  will  abide  forever." 

The  Gallant  Stotsenburg. 

We  have  here  space  to  mention  only  some  of  the  more  conspicuous 
heroes  of  the  battlefields  around  Manila.  Their  bravery  was  such  as  we 
always  expect  from  American  troops.  There  is  no  better  fighting  material  in 
the  world,  although  some  of  the  military  experts  of  Europe  have  maintained 
that  so  far  as  officers  are  concerned  we  are  in  a  measure  defective.  But  every 
conflict  develops,  at  length,  the  right  kind  of  officers,  and  they  become 
famous  for  their  generalship. 

One  officer  was  killed  at  Quingua,  near  Malolos,  who  in  his  own  State 
of  Nebraska  was  not  only  widely  known,  but  greatly  admired  and  respected. 
He  was  a  man  of  unusual  intelligence,  of  noble  character,  and  was  a  tower  of 
strength  among  our  troops  at  Manila.  The  battle  was  raging  at  Malolos. 
when  Colonel  Stotsenburg,  commander  of  the  Nebraska  regiment,  arrived 
on  the  battlefield,  having  just  returned  from  Manila.  He  was  always  a 
remarkable  example  of  courage  and  displayed  it  on  this  occasion.  Rushing 
into  the  thick  of  the  fight,  he  was  fatally  shot 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

> 

Dewey's   Guns  Sounded  the   Doom   of  Spain. 


HEN  the  Spanish  ships  went  down  in  the  Harbor  of  Manila,  when 
the  proud  fleet  which  boasted  that  it  would  annihilate  the  Yankee 
squadron,  was  itself  stunned  to  death,  when  Dewey  and  Schley 
crushed  the  boasted  naval  power  of  the  haughty  kingdom  that 
once  ruled  the  world,  the  doom  of  Spain  was  sealed. 

The  historian  writes  of  her  with  sadness.  From  being  the  proudest  and 
most  powerful  nation  of  the  globe  she  has  fallen  once  for  all.  There  are 
none  now  so  poor  as  to  do  her  reverence.  It  is  strictly  true  that  one  naval 
battle  in  Manila  harbor  was  the  crushing  blow  that  ended  the  downfall  of 
Spain. 

It  will  be  interesting  in  this  connection  to  briefly  trace  the  history  of  the 
Spanish  Empire  and  note  the  successive  steps  by  which  her  power  has  been 
broken  and  her  glory  dimmed.  No  American  at  present  has  taken  sufficient 
account  of  the  fact  that  our  victories  have  sealed  the  doom  of  the  Castilian 
Empire  and  changed  the  relations  of  European  nations. 

Her  Glory  lias  Departed. 

To  the  student  of  the  philosophy  of  history  no  more  thrillingly  interest- 
ing chapter  has  ever  been  written  than  that  penned  by  Buckle  on  the  causes 
of  the  decadence  of  Spain,  and  no  more  significant  words  were  ever  spoken 
than  those  he  used  when  contrasting  the  Spain  of  Philip  II.  with  the  Spain  of 
to-day.  As  it  is  known  to  us,  no  country  in  Europe  is  of  less  consequence 
in  the  world's  affairs. 

Little  Portugal,  that  once  acknowledged  the  dominion  of  Spain  and 
formed  a  province  in  the  Spanish  Empire,  is  now  of  more  importance.  The 
Balkan  States,  which  arose  but  yesterday  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire,  are  infinitely  more  potential.  Even  Greece  and  Denmark,  both  once 
great  empires,  and  now,  with  Spain,  in  eclipse,  cut  a  large  figure  in  the  world's 
affairs,  for  each,  by  its  geographical  position,  is  able  to  command  a  respect 
that  is  not  shown  to  Spain. 

The  time  was  when  the  affairs  of  Europe  and  the  world  were  directed 
from  Madrid ;  but  now,  when  the  powers  meet  in  conference  to  settle  questions 
of  mighty  import,  Madrid  sends  no  representative  to  the  congress,  for  Spain 
362 


DEWEY'S   GUNS   SOUNDED   THE   DOOM   OF   SPAIN.      353 

has  no  influence,  is  not  consulted,  and,  so  far  as  appears  on  the  records,  is  not 
even  thought  of  by  the  diplomats  of  the  powers  that  now  control  the  affairs 
of  the  eastern  hemisphere.  From  a  position  of  supreme  authority,  Spain 
has  sunk  so  low  as  to  be  utterly  disregarded  in  the  world's  politics  and 
ignored  in  the  world's  movements. 

When  the  universal  contempt  into  which  Spain  has  fallen  is  remembered, 
it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  only  three  centuries  ago  Spain  ruled  the  world. 
It  was  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  who  first  made  the  proud  boast  that  on  his 
dominions  the  sun  never  set,  norv  was  it  an  idle  word,  but  a  plain  statement  of 
fact 

At  its  greatest  extent  the  Spanish  Empire  spread  so  far  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  peninsula  that  the  original  boundaries  of  the  Spanish  State  inclosed  its 
smallest  possession.  The  sway  of  Charles  was  acknowledged,  not  only  over 
Spain,  of  which  he  was  the  hereditary  monarch,  but  in  a  large  part  of  Southern 
Italy,  in  Sicily,  in  Portugal  and  in  the -Netherlands,  while  as  Emperor  he 
ruled  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the  present  possessions  of  Austria  and 
all  the  small  States,  which  almost  from  the  dawn  of  authentic  history,  have 
been  grouped  under  the  general  name  of  Germany. 

Spain  had  Vast  Dominions  in  America. 

In  America  the  Spanish  power  was  acknowledged  over  a  territory  so 
vast  as  to  make  the  mightiest  empire  of  antiquity  seem  contemptible  by  com- 
parison. Charles  claimed  for  his  own  the  8,000,000  square  miles  of  North 
America  and  the  7,000,000  of  South  America,  a  grand  total  of  15,000,000 
square  miles  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  while  the  possessions  in  Africa, 
Asia  and  the  innumerable  islands  that,  in  every  sea,  acknowledged  allegiance 
to  the  Spanish  throne,  brought  up,  with  the  European  States,  the  area  of  the 
empire  to  a  grand  total  of  not  less,  and  perhaps  more,  than  17,000,000  square 
miles.  Never  before  nor  since  has  so  vast  a  territory  been  governed  by  one 
man. 

The  Czar  of  Russia  rules  a  territory  a  little  more  than  half  the  size  of 
that  which  owned  the  sway  of  Charles  ;  the  British  flag  floats  over  much  less 
than  two-thirds  that  area ;  the  Roman  eagles,  in  the  golden  days  of  Trajan, 
were  honored  over  a  territory  only  one-sixth  as  large  as  the  dominions  of 
Charles,  while  the  empires  of  Greece,  and  Assyria,  and  Babylon,  and  the  great 
States  founded  by  the  Moguls  and  Genghis  Khan,  were  petty  by  comparison 
with  the  Spanish  dominions.  Over  100  different  political  commonwealths  have 
been  carved  out  of  the  Spanish  Empire,  and  still  the  process  is  going  on. 

The  overshadowing  supremacy  of  Spain  can  be  better  understood  by 
glancing  at  the  relative  positions  held  by  other  States  of  Europe  that  have 
23-0 


354      DEWEY'S    GUNS   SOUNDED   THE   DOOM    OF   SPAIN. 

grown  while  Spain  was  declining.  When  Spain  was  at  her  best,  France  was 
hardly  more  than  a  vassal  State.  Hemmed  in  on  every  side  by  her  powerful 
neighbor,  the  territory  of  France  was  much  more  limited  than  at  present,  while 
the  crushing  defeats  of  the  French  arms  at  the  hands  of  the  dreaded  Spanish 
caused,  in  Spain,  the  same  contempt  for  France  that  is  now  felt  in  the 
latter  country  for  Spain.  Germany  and  the  German  States  in  Austria  were  a 
part  of  the  empire,  while  to  the  south-east,  the  Hungarians  were  so  constantly 
engaged  in  battling  with  the  Turks,  as  to  find  no  time  for  other  occupation. 

The  States  of  Italy  not  under  control  of  the  Spanish  Empire  were  under 
its  political  influence,  while  to  the  east  of  Germany,  the  Kingdom  of  Poland, 
when  not  divided  by  civil  strife  among  its  nobility,  was  alternately  waging  war 
against  the  Turks  to  the  south  and  the  savage  tribes  in  the  great  steppes  which 
extended  to  the  base  of  the  Ural  range. 

Russia  was  little  more  considered  in  the  affairs  of  Europe  than  China  is 
at  present,  being  regarded  as  a  savage  State,  while  Denmark  and  Sweden  were 
hardly  more  esteemed  than  Russia.  Even  England  had  not,  at  that  time, 
come  to  be  recognized  as  a  first-class  power,  and,  although  Charles  and  Henry 
VIII.  met  on  terms  of  equality  as  reigning  sovereigns,  it  was  regarded  at  the 
time  as  a  special  condescension  on  the  part  of  the  former  that  he,  the  ruler  of 
the  world,  should  show  such  a  courtesy  to  the  king  of  a  pretty  group  of 
islands  north  of  the  channel. 

England  Comparatively  Weak. 

The  English  colonial  period  had  not  begun,  and  nothing  was  known  of 
the  marvelous  ability  of  the  English  people  as  colonists  in  a  new  country ; 
the  English  commerce  and  manufactures  and  banking  institutions  were  all  in 
the  future ;  there  was  no  standing  army  on  the  islands  ;  a  few  top-heavy  ships, 
more  dangerous  to  the  sailors  on  board  from  a  tendency  to  capsize,  than  to 
the  enemy,  represented  the  splendid  fleets  that  now  carry  the  British  flag  on 
every  sea.  Spain  was  the  master  of  the  world,  and  no  proposal  of  interna- 
tional consequence  was  made  in  any  court  of  Europe  without  consulting  the 
Spanish  ambassador ;  nor  was  any  plan  carried  out  without  the  approval  of 
his  master. 

The  natural  resources  of  the  Spanish  Peninsula  are  in  themselves  so  con- 
siderable, that  in  the  hands  of  an  enterprising  and  industrious  people,  the 
country  would  take  high  rank  among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  but  the  resour- 
ces of  Spain  were  but  a  trifle  compared  with  those  of  the  empire.  The  Italian 
and  Sicilian  possessions  were  wealthy,  the  German  and  Austrian  portions 
were  still  more  so,  and  the  Netherlands  were  a  constant  source  of  revenue  to 
the  imperial  treasury. 


THE 
BOUNDING  BILLOW. 

PUBLISHED  112  THE  II^ESTS  OP  ftlQEpSftl} 


Published  at  intervals 
on  17.  8.  F.  S.  Olympia. 


MANILA,  P.  I.,  AUC.-SEPT.,  1898.       j 


VOL.  I. 
NO.  6. 


,  Peace 


The  Fall  of  Manila. 


3t  roill  lice  in  ieatljless  slory  Ijow  out  banner  Iei>  On 
3n  aU  its  pristine  gloru  to  bo  battle  for  ttje  tiglft, 

flnb  i»t;ere  oppression  rages,  in  majesty  sublime 

(Columbia  battle  wages,  on  its  sinblack  list  of  crime 


[The  above  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  first  page  of  the  Aug.-Sept.  issue  of  "The  Bound- 
ing  Billow,"  edited  by  L.  S.  Young  on  board  Admiral  Dewey's  flagship,  the  Olympia.] 

R5£ 


DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN. 

All  that  Europe  could  give,  however,  was  a  drop  in  the  bucket  compared 
to  the  incalculable  sums  sent  to  Spain  from  the  almost  limitless  colonies  in 
America.  The  native  rulers  of  Mexico,  Central  America  and  Peru  yielded 
up  their  treasures  at  the  command  of  the  military  adventurers  who  conquered 
those  countries,  and  the  mines,  worked  by  the  labor  of  hapless  Indian  slaves, 
poured  forth  gold  and  silver  in  such  quantities  as  the  world  had  never  known. 

Every  galleon  that  crossed  from  Spain  to  America  returned  laden  with 
treasure.  It  is  estimated  that  in  the  century  which  followed  the  discovery  of 
the  New  World,  2,000  tons  of  gold  and  three  times  that  quantity  of  silver 
crossed  the  ocean  to  be  squandered  in  Spain.  Penniless  knights,  with  only 
their  arms,  borrowed  money  to  seek  their  fortune  in  America  and  returned 
millionaires.  Merchants  and  capitalists  who  invested  their  means  in  American 
ventures  became  enormously  rich.  Men  who  went  out  to  America  as  common 
soldiers  came  back  in  a  few  years  and  paraded  the  streets  of  Madrid  and 
Toledo  and  Cordova  with  processions  of  slaves  and  attendants  such  as  befitted 
the  state  of  a  prince. 

In  1540  a  Spanish  soldier  was  married  in  Barcelona  to  the  daughter  of  a 
nobleman,  and  gave  away  in  alms  at  his  wedding  $600,000  in  gold  and  silver. 
Spain  was  literally  intoxicated  with  wealth,  and  went  wild  with  the  expectation 
of  more.  In  every  town  there  were  those  who  had  made  fortunes  in  America 
and  returned  to  Spain  to  flaunt  their  ill-gotten  gains  before  their  former  asso- 
ciates. The  wildest  extravagance  prevailed. 

A  Nation  of  Spendthrifts  and  Gamblers. 

A  returned  Spaniard  in  1557  stood  at  his  window  in  Madrid  and  threw, 
a  handful  at  a  time,  two  barrels  of  silver  coins  into  the  street  below,  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  people  scramble  and  fight  for  the  money.  The  wildest 
tales  of  spendthrift  fancy  during  periods  of  abnormal  development  elsewhere 
seem  tame,  when  compared  with  the  follies  of  the  newly  rich  in  Spain  during 
the  century  after  the  discovery. 

Extravagance,  whether  national  or  individual,  infallibly  brings  its  own 
punishment,  and  Spain  was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  It  is  possible  for  nations, 
as  individuals,  to  become  shiftless,  and  Spain  had  become  a  nation  of  improvi- 
dent gamblers.  Agriculture  and  the  industries  which  build  up  the  substantial 
prosperity  of  a  nation  were  neglected,  while  thousands  of  the  young  men, 
the  best  blood  of  the  country,  flocked  to  America  to  join  those  who  had  gone 
before  in  the  search  for  gold. 

So  great  was  the  outflow  of  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  nation,  that  in 
1594,  mechanics  in  the  cities  of  Spain  commanded  four  times  the  daily  wages 
that  had  been  paid  thirty  years  earlier,  while  in  the  agricultural  districts 


DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN.        357 

labor  could  not  be  had  at  any  price,  and  hundreds  of  farms  remained  untilled 
because  of  the  lack  of  men  to  perform  the  necessary  work.  The  stupid 
policy  of  the  government  still  further  increased  the  difficulty,  for  Philip  II., 
affirming  that  he  would  rather  not  reign  at  all  than  reign  over  heretics  and 
unbelievers,  began  a  policy  of  expelling  Dissenters,  Jews  and  Moriscoes,  who 
took  with  them  a  large  share  of  the  industries  and  arts  of  Spain. 

The  expulsion  of  the  Moors  in  particular  did  infinite  damage  to  the  coun- 
try, for  whatever  of  industrial  skill  remained  in  it  belonged  to  them,  and 
the  result  of  their  emigration  was  the  immediate  annihilation  of  Spanish  man- 
ufactures. This,  however,  was  only  a  part  of  the  Spanish  misfortunes.  The 
sudden  exaltation  of  Spain  produced  a  degree  of  pride  that,  to  other  nations, 
was  unendurable,  while  the  wealth  of  the  Spanish  monarch  excited  the  bitter 
envy  of  all  his  contemporary  sovereigns,  and  led  to  combinations  against  the 
Spanish  power. 

Personal  pique  often  plays  as  important  a  part  in  national  as  in  society 
affairs,  and  when  the  Ambassadors  of  England,  France  and  Venice  found  the 
representative  of  the  Majesty  of  Spain  claiming  precedence  over  themselves, 
because,  to  use  the  grandiloquent  language  of  one  Don,  "  My  master  rules  the 
earth  and  your  kings  are  but  his  puppets,"  it  was  natural,  not  only  that  they 
should  report  their  grievance  to  their  governments,  but  also  that  their  indig- 
nant sovereigns  should  take  up  the  quarrel  and  make  it  personal  to  themselves. 

Involved  in  Many  Wars. 

The  consequence  was  that  even  during  the  reign  of  Charles  V.  the 
empire  became  involved  in  war  with  all  its  neighbors,  while  the  peace  within 
was  often  broken  on  account  of  the  zeal  with  which  the  State  undertook  to 
aid  the  Church  in  the  extirpation  of  heresy.  There  was  a  long  and  costly 
war  with  Francis  L,  arising  from  the  jealousy  felt  by  France  for  her  more 
powerful  neighbor ;  there  was  a  longer  and  still  more  expensive  strife  waged 
against  the  Protestants  of  Germany  and  the  people  of  the  Netherlands,  while 
Charles,  though  eager  to  exterminate  heretics,  did  not  scruple  to  make  war 
on  the  Pope,  and  military  operations  on  a  large  scale  were  also  carried  on 
against  the  Turks,  Tunis  and  Algiers. 

The  consequence  was  that  even  the  enormous  sums  sent  to  the  Imperial 
Treasury  from  Mexico  and  Peru  were  insufficient  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
these  campaigns,  and  Charles  was  forced  to  levy  extraordinary  taxes  on  the 
people.  These  caused  revolts  all  over  Spain,  and  in  several  provinces  a  guer- 
rilla war  was  carried  on  by  the  people  against  the  Imperial  troops  for  several 
of  the  later  years  of  the  reign  of  Charles. 

Even  the  extraordinary  levies  failed  to  produce  funds  in  sufficient  amount 


358        DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN. 

to  carry  out  the  plans  of  Charles,  and  he  was  finally  compelled  to  contract  an 
enormous  debt,  for  the  payment  of  which  he  pledged  the  revenues  of  the 
State.  There  is  abundant  reason  to  believe  that  Charles  clearly  foresaw  the 
approaching  decline  of  the  Spanish  power,  but  there  is  no  special  evidence  to 
show  that  he  abdicated  in  order  to  escape  his  share  of  the  responsibility. 

He  was  not  a  man  to  shirk  responsibility.  His  abdication  seems  to  have 
been  the  act  of  an  old,  broken,  disappointed  and  thoroughly  heart-sick  man. 
He  had  seen  all  his  plans  fail.  He  had  seen  France  once  crushed,  but 
stronger  than  ever;  he  had  seen  Protestantism  apparently  exterminated  in 
Germany,  but  having  ten  times  more  adherents  at  the  close  than  at  the  open- 
ing of  his  reign.  He  was  sick  of  the  whole  business,  and  so  in  disgust 
turned  it  over  to  his  son  to  manage  as  best  he  could. 

The  evil  that  Charles  did  lived  after  him,  and  soon  grew  to  mighty  pro- 
portions under  Philip  II.  Some  of  the  mischievous  measures  of  this  short- 
sighted king  have  already  been  alluded  to,  but  the  most  disastrous  and  far- 
reaching  mistake  was  the  English  war.  His  marriage  with  Mary  had  not 
endeared  him  in  the  least  to  the  English  people,  and  his  conquest  of  Portugal 
and  merciless  campaigns  against  the  heretics  of  the  Netherlands  showed  the 
English  what  they  might  expect  should  he  succeed  in  obtaining  authority  on 
the  islands. 

The  death  of  Mary  did  not  put  an  end  to  his  schemes,  but  his  failure  to 
contract  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  Elizabeth  enraged  him,  and,  for  revenge, 
he  planned  the  conquest  of  England. 

Destruction  of  the  Great  Spanish  Fleet. 

The  story  of  the  "  Invincible  Armada "  has  been  often  told,  and  is 
familiar  to  every  schoolboy,  but  not  so  well  known  is  the  fact  that  Philip  was 
inspired  to  fit  out  the  great  fleet  in  1588  by  the  success  of  a  naval  campaign 
against  the  Turks  in  1571,  in  which  the  Spanish  fleet,  allied  with  the  naval 
forces  of  all  the  Mediterranean  States,  put  an  end  to  the  Turkish  growth  at 
sea  and  forced  the  Moslems  to  confine  their  military  operations  to  the  land. 
Philip  dreamed  of  another  Lepanto  on  the  English  coast,  and,  with  sublime 
confidence  in  the  invincibility  of  his  fleet,  was  with  difficulty  restrained  from 
accompanying  it  to  England. 

The  ruin  of  the  Armada  was  the  first  great  shock  to  the  Spanish  monar- 
chy. It  had  been  weakening  for  years,  but  the  weakness  here  and  there 
observable  did  not  detract  from  public  belief  in  the  general  strength.  The 
loss  of  the  Armada  showed  the  world  Spain's  weakest  point,  and  the  enemies 
of  the  Spanish  State  were  not  slow  to  profit  by  the  knowledge  thus  gained. 

The  English,  the  Dutch,  the  French  hastened  to  build  vessels  on  the 


DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN.       359 

type  of  those  in  which  Drake  and  his  captains  out-manoeuvred  the  unwieldly 
galleons  that  floated  helplessly  up  the  channel,  and  in  less  than  a  century 
three  other  great  fleets  bearing  the  Spanish  flag  had  been  captured  or 
destroyed  by  the  small  fleet  cruisers  of  these  constantly  hostile  nations,  and 
innumerable  Spanish  vessels  had  been  taken  singly,  whose  treasure  was  spent 
as  prize  money  in  Amsterdam,  Bordeaux  and  Portsmouth  by  elated  sailors. 

In  addition  to  these  reverses  abroad,  a  train  of  disasters  came  at  horn? 
from  the  incompetence  of  the  Spanish  rulers.  No  country  was  probably  evei 
so  cursed  with  fanatical  and  imbecile  kings  as  was  Spain  during  the  seven 
teenth  century.  Each  seemed,  if  possible,  a  little  worse  than  his  predecessor; 
a  little  more  stupid,  a  little  more  bigoted,  a  little  less  able  to  see  facts  that 
were  obvious  to  all  others,  until  the  line  was  ended  by  an  idiot  scarcely  able 
to  master  the  knowledge  necessary  to  sign  his  name  to  state  papers. 

The  Empire  Going  to  Decay. 

The  consequences  were  apparent,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Travelers 
through  Spain  declared  that  the  whole  country  seemed  under  a  blight. 
Industry  was  dead,  the  farms  were  untilled,  the  pastures  untenanted,  the 
population  bad  fallen  off  to  an  alarming  extent,  the  roads  between  towns  could 
not  be  used.  The  provinces  and  dependent  States  were  in  constant  rebellion. 
There  were  insurrections  in  Italy  and  Sicily,  Portugal  recovered  its  independ- 
ence, the  Spanish  were  driven  out  of  the  Netherlands,  there  were  wars  with 
France  in  which  the  arms  of  the  latter  were  uniformly  victorious,  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  were  almost  completely  cut  off  from  intercourse  with  the  home 
government  on  account  of  the  activity  of  English  and  Dutch  cruisers,  while 
what  news  came  was  largely  of  misfortune,  for  the  mines  of  precious  metals 
were  failing,  rival  viceroys  and  governors  were  righting,  and  the  pirates 
of  the  West  Indies  infested  the  coasts  of  Mexico,  Central  America  and  Vene- 
zuela to  such  an  extent  that  only  a  large  and  well-armed  fleet  could  pass  in 
safety  through  the  gauntlet  of  pirate  brigantines. 

To  crown  all,  under  Charles  II.,  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  cen- 
tury, came  the  famous  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession,  in  which  the  best  blood 
of  Spain  was  poured  out  on  distant  fields  in  a  quarrel  in  which  the  Spanish 
people  felt  little  interest,  and  at  its  close  the  power  of  the  State  was  still 
further  reduced  by  the  cessions  which  Philip  V.  was  compelled  to  make  in 
order  to  maintain  himself  on  the  Spanish  throne. 

The  eighteenth  century  was  a  period  of  almost  uninterrupted  disaster. 
Two  unsuccessful  wars  were  waged  with  England ;  during  one  Gibraltar 
became  an  English  possession  ;  during  the  other,  when  Spain  took  sides  with 
France  after  the  Revolution,  the  Spanish  fleet  was  destroyed,  all  the  ports  of 


360        DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN. 

Spain  were  blockaded  and  the  country  reduced  to  abject  misery.  But  these 
great  misfortunes  were  small  when  compared  to  those  which  came  in  the  first 
quarter  of  this  century. 

The  attempt  of  Napoleon  to  force  a  French  king  upon  the  Spanish  people 
led  to  a  guerrilla  war  against  the  invaders,  which  raged  for  years  in  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  peninsula,  and,  though  successful,  left  the  country  a 
barren  waste.  The  officers  of  Wellington's  army  have  left  accounts  of  the 
pitiable  condition  of  Spain  and  its  inhabitants  as  witnessed  during  their  cam- 
paigns against  the  French.  Throughout  whole  provinces  not  a  farm  was 
under  cultivation ;  heaps  of  ashes  and  standing  chimneys  marked  the  sites 
of  towns  and  villages,  and  a  few  ragged,  starving  wretches,  picking  up  acorns 
in  the  forest,  represented  the  population. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Spain  at  the  end  of  Napoleon's  wars,  and  worse 
was  to  come,  for  three  years  after  Napoleon  had  been  sent  to  St.  Helena 
mutterings  of  revolt  were  heard  in  the  American  colonies.  By  1820  the 
whole  of  Spanish  America  was  in  open  insurrection.  Heroic  attempts  were 
made  by  the  government  to  put  down  the  rebellions  that  had  sprung  up  all 
over  the  Spanish  colonies,  but  from  Mexico  to  Chili  the  whole  country  was 
up  and  armed,  and  the  few  troops  that  could  be  sent  from  Spain  accom- 
plished nothing. 

Rapid  Decline  of  Spain. 

The  same  policy  that  was  prosecuted  in  Cuba — that  of  utter  extermina- 
tion— was  attempted  in  America,  but  the  Spaniards  were  too  few  to  exter- 
minate whole  nations,  and,  though  the  war  was  prosecuted  with  as  much 
vigor  as  could  be  shown  by  a  degenerate  race,  before  the  close  of  1826  the 
Spaniards  had  been  driven  from  every  position  on  the  mainland  of  America 
and  their  splendid  empire  was  gone. 

Since  then  the  decline  of  Spain  has  been  still  more  marked  than  before. 
Revolution  has  succeeded  revolution  ;  a  war  with  France  in  1823,  civil  wars 
in  the  Basque  country,  the  Carlist  war  and  other  struggles  have  tended  to 
weaken  the  nation,  while  industries  are  paralyzed,  agriculture  is  at  a  stand- 
still, and  of  its  former  greatness  Spain  retains  only  the  pride  of  recollection. 

So  rapid  a  decline  and  a  fall  so  great  have  not  taken  place  without 
attracting  the  attention  of  philosophical  minds,  which  have  exerted  them- 
selves to  discover  and  explain  the  causes  of  the  decay  of  an  empire  that 
comprised  more  territory  within  its  limits  than  any  other  known  to  the  his- 
torian.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  that,  in  general,  the  historians  have 
explained  the  phenomenon  according  to  their  own  prejudices.  The  political 
economist  teaches  that  the  enormous  wealth  brought  from  America,  instead 


DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN.        361 

of  enriching,  really  impoverished  Spain,  since  it  induced  neglect  of  home 
industries  and  generated  an  extravagance  which  became  the  ruin  of  the  nation. 
Buckle  finds,  or  thinks  he  finds,  the  cause,  partly  at  least,  in  the  superstitious 
reverence  for  authority  which  kept  the  Spaniards  faithful  to  church  and 
state,  even  while  they  knew  the  one  to  be  corrupt  and  the  other  incompetent. 

Pride  of  character  and  an  arrogance  that  excited  the  hatred  of  all  for- 
eigners and  the  antagonism  of  all  foreign  states,  the  warlike  habits  of  the 
Spanish  people,  confirmed  by  eight  centuries  of  constant  conflict  with  the 
Moors,  draining  the  country  of  its  best  men  and  leaving  only  the  weakly 
and  infirm,  each  and  every  one  of  these  causes,  together  with  innumerable 
others,  have  been  upheld  by  able  advocates.  Explain  it  as  we  may,  the  fact 
remains,  that  for  whatever  cause  or  causes  the  Spain  of  to-day  is  but  a 
phantom  of  the  Spain  of  three  centuries  ago ;  the  splendid  empire  of  Charles 
V.  and  Philip  II.  has  not  melted  away.  It  has  been  violently  rent  in  pieces, 
and  not  a  leading  power  in  the  world  but  has  grown  great,  in  some  degree, 
at  the  expense  of  Spain. 

The  Philippines  were  by  far  the  most  important  of  Spain's  possessions  in 
size,  population  and  natural  wealth.  They  are  three-fifths  as  large  as  Spain 
and  have  nearly  as  dense  a  population.  They  comprise  three-fourths  or  four^ 
fifths  of  the  entire  colonial  population  of  Spain.  That  country  has  drawn 
from  them  for  centuries  a  large  profit.  The  area  of  this  archipelago  is  1 14,000 
square  miles,  and  the  population  is  probably  about  8,000,000. 

Colonies  Sold  to  Germany. 

The  oceanic  possessions  of  Spain,  some  of  which  were  sold  to  Germany 
in  1899,  are  three  Pacific  groups  of  small  islands  named  the  Pelew,  or  Palaos, 
the  Caroline  and  the  Marianne  or  Ladrones.  They  all  lie  immediately  to  the 
east  of  the  Philippines  and  adjoin  each  other.  The  Pelew  Islands  are  imme- 
diately east  of  Mindanao  and  have  the  Carolines  on  the  north  and  east. 
They  are  volcanic  coral  islands,  imbedded  in  coral  reefs,  and  are  eleven  in 
number.  Together  they  aggregate  200  square  miles.  The  population  now 
numbers  only  10,000  or  less. 

The  Caroline  Islands  form  a  vast  coral  archipelago,  stretching  over  a 
band  of  2,000  miles  long  east  and  west,  and  300  broad.  The  number  of 
islands  and  islets  is  very  great,  but  there  are  only  about  40  which  are  known 
to  be  inhabited.  The  largest  is  Ponapoi,  or  Ascension  Island,  near  the 
eastern  extremity  of  the  group  and  nearly  half  way  from  the  Philippines  to 
Hawaii.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  in  diameter  and  -has  a  population  of  5>°°°- 
Rouk,  Trouk,  or  Hogolon  Island,  near  the  center  of  the  group,  is  smaller, 
but  has  about  the  same*  oopuls^tion. 


362        DEWEY'S  GUNS  SOUNDED  THE  DOOM  OF  SPAIN. 

The  aggregate  area  of  this  vast  extent  of  islands  is  only  300  or  400 
square  miles  and  the  total  population  about  20,000.  The  people  are  like  the 
Hawaiians  in  character.  The  climate  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  found  on 
the  earth's  surface.  The  Pelew  Islands  lie  on  the  same  submarine  plateau  as 
the  Carolines,  and  are  associated  with  them  physically  as  they  now  are  politi- 
cally. The  people  of  the  Pelews  are,  however,  darker  and  belong  to  another 
race. 

Three-fifths  of  Spain's  colonial  area  is  Saharan.  With  the  loss  of  the 
Philippines  and  Cuba,  Spain  sinks  to  the  last  place  in  the  series,  and  will  have 
no  important  colony  proper.  This  is  a  pathetic  condition  when  compared 
with  her  state  when  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  in  1493,  magnanimously  divided 
between  Portugal  and  herself  the  unknown  parts  of  the  earth,  giving  to  Spain 
all  the  American  continent  except  a  little  of  Brazil.  But  her  actual  posses- 
sion of  America  was  always  largely  a  fiction. 

He  Gave  Them  Shells  For  Breakfast. 

It  was  Sunday  at  Manila,  upon  the  first  of  May, 

That  Dewey  thrashed  the  Spaniards  and  our  brave  boys  won  the  day. 

Dewey  steamed  into  the  harbor  under  cover  of  the  night, 

And  at  daybreak  in  the  morning  was  ready  for  the  fight. 

The  Dons  were  up  quite  early,  and  saw,  to  their  surprise, 
Our  ships  were  in  the  harbor  and  they  noted  now  their  size ; 
They  saw  the  task  before  them  was  not  any  easy  one, 
They  must  sink  the  Yankee  squadron  if  a  victory  would  be  won. 

They  accepted  the  gage  of  battle  and  fired  the  signal  shot; 
Our  ships  responded  nobly — the  fight  waxed  strong  and  hot. — 
Until  Dewey  burned  their  vessels  and  sank  them,  one  by  one; 
Their  forts?     They,  too,  were  silenced  and  a  glorious  victory  won. 

All  glory,  then,  to  Dewey  and  his  brave  old  Yankee  crew, 
They  "done"  the  Dons  completely,  as  no  other  boys  could  do. 
He  gave  them  shells  for  breakfast,  washed  with  water  of  the  bay, 
And  he  sent  them  all  to  glory  in  the  good  old  Yankee  way. 

F.  C.  WELLS 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Liberal  Government  Offered  the  Filipinos. 

HEN,  by  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  with  Spain,  the  Philippine 
Islands  came  into  the  possession  of  the  United  States,  the  question 
was  what  we  should  do  with  them.  We  were  entering  upon  a  new 
and  untried  national  experience.  We  were  strangers  in  Asia.  We 
had  never  floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes  over  Malays  or  Oriental  heathen. 
Here  was  a  population  of  8,000,000  people  thrown  upon  our  hands,  and  a  large 
part  of  them  were  ignorant  barbarians.  What  should  be  done  with  them  ? 

But  we  paid  Spain  20,000,000  dollars  for  these  islands,  with  the  very  wise 
and  benevolent  intention  of  civilizing  them  and  giving  them  good  schools  and 
religious  liberty.  It  was  dreamed  by  many  that  these  ignorant  people  on  the 
other  side  of  the  globe  would  simply  fall  down  on  their  knees  and  praise  God, 
or  some  heathen  deity,  for  the  privilege  of  being  brought  under  the  authority 
of  the  United  States.  But  suddenly  it  was  discovered  that  Aguinaldo  and  his 
hordes  were  not  charmed  with  the  idea  of  becoming  American  citizens. 

Only  One  Course  to  Pursue. 

Still  it  was  the  opinion  of  our  wisest  statesmen,  that  as  the  Philippine 
Islands  had  come  into  our  hands,  there  was  nothing  left  for  us  to  do  but  to 
conquer  the  natives,  to  bring  them  into  subjection,  show  our  good  disposition 
toward  them,  give  them  a  liberal  form  of  government,  and  prove  that  the  con- 
quering nation  was  their  friend.  We  could  not  surrender  the  city  of  Manila 
to  a  lawless  mob.  There  were  good,  law-abiding  people  in  that  city  and  vast 
commercial  and  moneyed  interests  to  be  protected. 

Our  government  sent  a  civil  commission  to  Manila,  of  whom  President 
Schurman,  of  Cornell  University,  was  the  chairman.  The  object  they  had  in 
view  was  to  explain  the  good  intentions  of  our  government  to  the  Filipinos 
and  bring  them  to  terms  of  peace.  The  commission  did  all  it  could  in  this 
direction,  acting  with  great  zeal  and  discretion,  yet,  as  some  thought,  too  much 
disposed  to  deal  gently  instead  of  forcibly  with  the  enemy.  It  was  believed 
that  nothing  but  a  demonstration  of  United  States  military  power  would  sub- 
due the  insurrection. 

The  intentions  of  our  government  were  fully  expressed  by  President 
McKinley  in  a  remarkable  speech  made  at  Boston  where  he  received  a  great 
ovation,  and  was  welcomed  at  an  enthusiastic  banquet  of  the  Home  Market 

363 


364  GOVERNMENT   FOR  THE  FILIPINOS. 

Club,  in  Mechanics'  Hall.  When  he  arose  to  speak  he  stood  for  some  minutes 
before  he  was  able  to  proceed,  and  this  demonstration  was  frequently  repeated 
during  his  speech.  He  outlined  the  intentions  of  our  government,  and  stated 
clearly  and  eloquently  what  we  proposed  to  do.  Mr.  McKinley  said  : 

"  The  Philippines,  like  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  were  intrusted  to  our  hands 
by  the  war,  and  to  that  great  trust,  under  the  providence  of  God  and  in  the 
name  of  human  progress  and  civilization,  we  are  committed. 

"  It  is  a  trust  we  have  not  sought ;  it  is  a  trust  from  which  we  will  not 
flinch.  The  American  people  will  hold  up  the  hands  of  their  servants  at  home 
to  whom  they  commit  its  execution,  while  Dewey  and  Otis  and  the  brave  men 
whom  they  command,  will  have  the  support  of  the  country  in  upholding  our 
flag  where  it  now  floats,  the  symbol  and  assurance  of  liberty  and  justice. 

"  What  nation  was  ever  able  to  write  an  accurate  program  of  the  war 
upon  which  it  was  entering,  much  less  decree  in  advance  the  scope  of  its 
results  ?  Congress  can  declare  war,  but  a  higher  power  decrees  its  bounds 
and  fixes  its  relations  and  responsibilities.  The  President  can  direct  the  move- 
ments of  soldiers  on  the  field  and  fleets  upon  the  sea,  but  he  cannot  foresee  the 
close  of  such  movements  or  prescribe  their  limits.  He  cannot  anticipate  or 
avoid  the  consequences,  but  he  must  meet  them.  No  accurate  map  of  nations 
engaged  in  war  can  be  traced  until  the  war  is  over,  nor  can  the  measure  of 
responsibility  be  fixed  until  the  last  gun  is  fired  and  the  verdict  embodied  in 
the  stipulations  of  peace. 

V 

Cannot  Evade  Our  Responsibility. 

"  We  hear  no  complaint  of  the  relations  created  by  the  war  between  this 
government  and  the  islands  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  There  are  some,  how- 
ever, who  regard  the  Philippines  as  in  a  different  relation  ;  but  whatever  variety 
of  views  there  may  be  on  this  phas^  of  the  question,  there  is  universal  agree- 
ment that  the  Philippines  shall  not  be  turned  back  to  Spain.  No  true  Ameri- 
can consents  to  that. 

"  Even  if  unwilling  to  accept  them  ourselves,  it  would  have  been  a  weak 
evasion  of  manly  duty  to  require  Spain-  to  transfer  them  to  some  other  Power 
or  Powers,  and  thus  shirk  our  own  responsibility.  Even  if  we  had  had,  as  we 
did  not  have,  the  power  to  compel  such  a  transfer,  it  could  not  have  been  made 
without  the  most  serious  international  complications. 

"  Such  a  course  could  not  be  thought  of,  and  yet  had  we  refused  to 
accept  the  cession  of  them  we  should  have  had  no  power  over  them,  even  for 
their  own  good.  We  could  not  discharge  the  responsibilities  upon  us  until  these 
islands  became  ours  either  by  conquest  or  treaty.  There  was  but  one  alterna- 
tive, and  that  was  either  Spain  or  the  United  States  in  the  Philippines. 


GOVERNMENT   FOR   THE   FILIPINOS.  365 

"  The  other  suggestions — first,  that  they  should  be  tossed  into  the  arena 
of  contention  for  the  strife  of  nations  ;  or,  second,  be  left  to  the  anarchy  and 
chaos  of  no  protectorate  at  all — were  too  shameful  to  be  considered. 

"  The  treaty  gave  them  to  the  United  States.  Could  we  have  required 
less  and  done  our  duty  ?  Could  we,  after  freeing  the  Filipinos  from  the  dom- 
ination of  Spain,  have  left  them  without  government  and  without  power  to 
protect  life  or  property,  or  to  perform  the  international  obligations  essential  to 
an  independent  State  ?  Could  we  have  left  them  in  a  state  of  anarchy  and 
justified  ourselves  in  our  own  consciences  or  before  the  tribunal  of  mankind  ? 
Could  we  have  done  that  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man  ? 

11  Our  concern  was  not  for  territory,  or  trade,  or  empire,  but  for  the  peo- 
ple whose  interests  and  destiny,  without  our  willing  it,  had  been  put  in  our 
hands.  It  was  this  feeling,  that,  from  the  first  day  to  the  last,  not  one  word  or 
line  went  from  the  Executive  in  Washington  to  our  military  and  naval  com- 
manders at  Manila,  or  to  our  Peace  Commissioners  at  Paris,  that  did  not  put 
as  the  sole  purpose  to  be  kept  in  mind,  first  after  the  success  of  our  arms  and 
the  maintenance  of  our  own  honor,  the  welfare  and  happiness,  and  the  rights 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Philippine  Islands. 

Obeying  a  High  Moral  Obligation. 

"  Did  we  need  their  consent  to  perform  a  great  act  for  humanity  ?  We 
had  it  in  every  aspiration  of  their  minds,  in  every  hope  of  their  hearts.  Was 
it  necessary  to  ask  their  consent  to  capture  Manila,  the  capital  of  their  islands  ? 
Did  we  ask  their  consent  to  liberate  them  from  Spanish  sovereignty  or  to  enter 
Manila  Bay  and  destroy  the  Spanish  sea  power  there  ?  We  did  not  ask  these. 
We  were  obeying  a  higher  moral  obligation  which  rested  on  us,  and  which 
did  not  require  anybody's  consent. 

"  We  were  doing  our  duty  by  them,  as  God  gave  us  light  to  see  our  duty 
[great  applause  and  ovation]  with  the  consent  of  our  own  consciences  and 
with  the  approval  of  civilization.  Every  present  obligation  has  been  met  and 
fulfilled  in  the  expulsion  of  Spanish  sovereignty  from  their  islands,  and  while 
the  war  that  destroyed  it  was  in  progress  we  could  not  ask  their  views.  Nor 
can  we  now  ask  their  consent. 

"  Indeed,  can  any  one  tell  me  in  what  form  it  could  be  marshalled  anoi 
ascertained  until  peace  and  order,  so  necessary  to  the  reign  01  reason,  shall  be 
secured  and  established  ?  A  reign  of  terror  is  not  the  kind  of  rule  under 
which  right  action  and  deliberate  judgment  are  possible. 

"  It  is  not  a  good  time  for  the  liberator  to  submit  important  questions 
concerning  liberty  and  government  to  thf  liberated  while  thev  are  engaged  in 
shooting  down  their  rescuers. 


366  GOVERNMENT  FOR  THE   FILIPINOS. 

"  We  have  now  ended  the  war  with  Spain.  The  treaty  has  been  ratified 
by  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States;  and  by  the  judg- 
ment of  nine-tenths  of  its  people.  No  nation  was  ever  more  fortunate  in  war 
or  more  honorable  in  negotiations  in  peace.  Spain  is  now  eliminated  from 
the  problem.  It  remains  to  ask  what  we  shall  now  do  ?  I  do  not  intrude  upon 
the  duties  of  Congress  or  seek  to  anticipate  or  forestall  its  action.  I  only  say 
that  the  treaty  of  peace,  honorably  secured,  having  been  ratified  by  the 
United  States,  and,  as  we  confidently  expect,  shortly  to  be  ratified  in  Spain^ 
Congress  will  have  the  power,  and  I  am  sure  the  purpose,  to  do  what  in  good 
morals  is  right  and  just  and  humane  for  these  peoples  in  distant  seas. 

"  It  is  sometimes  hard  to  determine  what  is  best  to  do,  and  the  best  thing 
to  do  is  oftentimes  the  hardest.  The  prophet  of  evil  would  do  nothing, 
because  he  flinches  at  sacrifice  and  effort,  and  to  do  nothing  is  easiest  and 
involves  the  least  cost.  On  those  who  have  things  to  do  there  rests  a  respon- 
sibility which  is  not  on  those  who  have  no  obligations  as  doers. 

"  If  the  doubters  were  in  a  majority,  there  would,  it  is  true,  be  no  labor, 
no  sacrifice,  no  anxiety,  and  no  burden  raised  or  carried ;  no  contribution 
from  our  ease  and  purse  and  comfort  to  the  welfare  of  others,  or  even  to  the 
extension  of  our  resources  to  the  welfare  of  ourselves.  There  would  be  ease, 
but,  alas  !  there  would  be  nothing  done. 

Honest  Effort  to  Settle  the  Problem. 

"  But  grave  problems  come  in  the  life  of  a  nation,  however  much  men 
may  seek  to  avoid  them.  They  come  without  our  seeking ;  why,  we  do  not 
know,  and  it  is  not  always  given  us  to  know  ;  but  the  generation  on  which 
they  are  forced  cannot  avoid  the  responsibility  of  honestly  striving  for  their 
solution.  We  may  not  know  precisely  how  to  solve  them,  but  we  can  make 
an  honest  effort  to  that  end,  and  if  made  in  conscience,  justice  and  honor,  it 
will  not  be  in  vain. 

"  The  future  of  the  Philippine  Islands  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
can people.  Until  the  treaty  was  ratified  or  rejected  the  executive  department 
of  this  government  could  only  preserve  the  peace  and  protect  life  and  pro- 
perty. That  treaty  now  commits  the  free  and  enfranchised  Filipinos  to  the 
guiding  hand  and  liberalizing  influences,  the  generous  sympathies,  the  uplift- 
ing education,  not  of  their  American  masters,  but  of  their  American  emanci- 
pators. No  one  can  tell  to-day  what  is  best  for  them  or  for  us.  I  know  no 
one  at  this  hour  who  is  wise  enough  or  sufficiently  informed  to  determine 
what  form  of  government  will  best  subserve  their  interests  and  our  interests, 
their  and  our  well-being. 

"  If  we  know  everything  by  intuition — and  I  sometimes  think  that  thete 


GOVERNMENT   FOR  THE   FILIPINOS.  367 

are  those  who  believe  that  if  we  do  not  they  do — we  should  not  need  informa- 
tion ;  but,  unfortunately,  most  of  us  are  not  in  that  happy  state.  The  whole 
subject  is  now  with  Congress,  and  Congress  is  the  voice,  the  conscience  and 
the  judgment  of  the  American  people.  Upon  their  judgment  and  conscience 
can  we  not  rely  ?  I  believe  in  them.  I  trust  them.  I  know  of  no  better  or 
safer  human  tribunal  than  the  people. 

"  Until  Congress  shall  direct  otherwise,  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  Execu- 
tive to  possess  and  hold  the  Philippines,  giving  to  the  people  thereof  peace 
and  order  and  beneficent  government,  affording  them  every  opportunity  to 
prosecute  their  lawful  pursuits,  encouraging  them  in  thrift  and  industry,  mak- 
ing them  feel  and  know  that  we  are  their  friends,  not  their  enemies  ;  that  their 
good  is  our  aim,  that  their  welfare  is  our  welfare,  but  that  neither  their  aspira- 
tions nor  ours  can  be  realized  until  our  authority  is  acknowledged  and  unques- 
tioned. 

"  That  the  inhabitants  of  the  Philippines  will  be  benefited  by  this 
Republic  is  my  unshaken  belief.  That  they  will  have  a  kindlier  government 
under  our  guidance,  and  that  they  will  be  aided  in  every  possible  way  to  be 
self-respecting  and  self-governing  people,  is  as  true  as  that  the  American 
people  love  liberty  and  have  an  abiding  faith  in  their  own  government  and  in 
their  own  institutions. 

Our  Principles  Go  with  the  Flag. 

"  No  imperial  designs  lurk  in  the  American  mind.  They  are  alien  to 
American  sentiment,  thought  and  purpose.  Our  priceless  principles  undergo 
no  change  under  a  tropical  sun.  They  go  with  the  flag.  They  are  wrought 
in  every  one  of  its  sacred  folds  and  are  inextinguishable  in  their  shining  as 
the  stars. 

"  Why  read  ye  not  the  changeless  truth — 
The  free  can  conquer  but  to  save. 

"  If  we  can  benefit  these  remote  people,  who  will  object  ?  If  in  the 
years  of  the  future  they  are  established  in  government  under  law  and  liberty, 
who  will  regret  our  perils  and  sacrifices?  Who  will  not  rejoice  in  our  hero- 
ism and  humanity  ?  Always  perils,  and  always  after  them  safety.  Always 
darkness  and  clouds,  but  always  shining  through  them  the  light  and  the  sun- 
shine ;  always  cost  and  sacrifice,  but  always  after  them  the  fruition  of  liberty, 
education  and  civilization. 

"  I  have  no  light  or  knowledge  not  common  to  my  countrymen.  I  do 
not  prophesy.  The  present  is  all-absorbing  to  me,  but  I  cannot  bound  my 
vision  by  the  blood-stained  trenches  around  Manila,  where  every  red  drop, 


368  GOVERNMENT   FOR   THE   FILIPINOS. 

whether  from  the  veins  of  an  American  soldier  or  a  misguided  Filipino,  is 
anguish  to  my  heart,  but  by  the  broad  range  of  future  years,  when  that  group 
of  islands,  under  the  impulse  of  the  year  just  past,  shall  have  become  the 
gems  and  glories  of  those  tropical  seas,  a  land  of  plenty  and  of  increasing 
possibilities,  a  people  redeemed  from  savage  indolence  and  habits,  devoted  to 
the  arts  of  peace,  in  touch  with  the  commerce  and  trade  of  all  nations,  enjoy- 
ing the  blessings  of  freedom,  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  of  education  and 
of  homes,  and  whose  children  and  children's  children  shall  for  ages  hence 
bless  the  American  Republic  because  it  emancipated  and  redeemed  their 
fatherland  and  set  them  in  the  pathway  of  the  world's  best  civilization." 

On  April  4th  President  McKinley's  Commissioners  made  a  statement 
intended  to  assure  the  natives  of  the  islands  that  the  aims  of  the  United 
States  were  friendly  and  all  the  rights  of  the  natives  would  be  guaranteed. 
The  proclamation  of  the  Philippine  Commission  was  issued  in  English, 
Spanish  and  Tagalano. 

What  Our  Government  Aims  to  Do. 

The  preamble  recited  the  cession  by  the  peace  treaty  of  the  Philippine 
Islands  to  the  United  States,  referred  to  the  appointment  of  the  commission, 
assured  the  people  of  the  cordial  good-will  and  fraternal  feeling  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  and  the  American  people,  and  asserted  that  the 
object  which  the  United  States  Government,  apart  from  the  fulfillment  of  its 
solemn  obligations,  had  assumed  toward  the  family  of  nations  by  the  accept- 
ance of  the  sovereignty  over  the  islands,  was  the  well-being,  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  the  Filipino  people  and  their  elevation  and  advancement  to  a 
position  among  the  most  civilized  peoples  of  the  world.  Continuing,  the 
proclamation  said : 

"  The  President  believes  this  felicity  and  perfection  of  the  Filipino  people 
will  be  brought  about  by  the  cultivation  of  letters,  science  and  the  liberal  and 
the  practical  arts,  by  the  enlargement  of  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  the 
expansion  of  industrial  pursuits  by  trade  and  commerce,  by  the  multiplication 
and  improvement  of  means  of  internal  communication,  and  by  the  develop- 
ment of  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  archipelago. 

"  Unfortunately,  these  pure  aims  and  purposes  of  the  American  govern- 
ment and  people  have  been  misinterpreted  to  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  cer- 
tain islands,  and,  in  consequence,  the  friendly  American  forces,  without  provo- 
cation or  cause,  have  been  openly  attacked.  Why  these  hostilities?  What 
do  the  best  Filipinos  desire  ?  Can  it  be  more  than  the  United  States  is  ready 
to  give  ? 

"They  say  they  are  patriots  and  want  liberty.     The  commission  emphat- 


GOVERNMENT   FOR   THE   FILIPINOS.  369 

ically  asserts  that  it  is  willing  and  anxious  to  establish  an  enlightened  system 
of  government,  under  which  the  people  may  enjoy  the  largest  measure  of 
home  rule  and  the  amplest  liberty  consonant  with  the  supreme  ends  of  the 
government,  and  compatible  with  those  obligations  which  the  United  States 
have  assumed  toward  the  civilized  nations  of  the  world." 

The  proclamation  then  said  there  could  be  no  real  conflict  between 
American  sovereignty  and  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  Filipinos,  for 
America  was  ready  to  furnish  armies  and  navies  and  all  the  resources  of  a 
great  and  powerful  nation  to  maintain  its  rightful  supremacy  over  the  islands, 
so  it  was  even  more  solicitous  to  spread  peace  and  happiness  among  the 
people,  and  guarantee  them  rightful  freedom,  to  protect  their  just  privileges 
and  immunities,  to  accustom  to  free  self-government  in  ever-increasing  meas- 
ure, and  to  encourage  those  democratic  aspirations,  sentiments  and  ideals 
which  are  the  promise  and  potency  of  fruitful  national  development. 

In  conclusion,  it  was  stated  that  the  Commission  would  visit  the  Philip- 
pine provinces  to  ascertain  the  enlightened  native  opinion  as  to  the  forms  of 
government  adapted  to  the  people  and  conformable  with  their  traditions  and 
ideals. 

The  leading  representative  men  were  asked  to  meet  the  Commission, 
which  further  declared  that  the  policy  of  the  United  States,  in  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  the  government  was  to  consult  the  wishes  and 
secure  the  advice  and  co-operation  of  the  people. 

Propositions  Made  to  the  Filipinos. 

The  proclamation  proper  contained  eleven  articles  declaring  America's 
intentions,  as  follows  : 

First. — The  supremacy  of  the  United  States  must  and  will  be  enforced 
throughout  every  part  of  the  archipelago,  and  those  who  resist  can  accom- 
plish nothing  except  their  own  ruin. 

Second. — The  amplest  liberty  of  self-government  will  be  granted  which 
is  reconcilable  with  the  just,  stable,  effective  and  economical  administration, 
and  compatible  with  the  sovereign  rights  and  obligations  of  the  United  States. 

Third. — The  civil  rights  of  the  Filipinos  will  be  guaranteed  and  pro- 
tected, their  religious  freedom  will  be  assured  and  all  will  have  equal  standing 
before  the  law. 

Fourth. — Honor,  justice  and  friendship  forbid  the  exploitation  of  the 
people  of  the  islands.  The  purpose  of  the  American  government  is  the  wel- 
fare and  advancement  of  the  Philippine  people. 

Fifth. — An  honest  and   effective  civil   service,  in  which,  to  the  fullest 
extent  practicable,  natives  shall  be  employed,  is  guaranteed. 
24-D 


370  GOVERNMENT   FOR   THE   FILIPINOS. 

Sixth. — The  collection  and  application  of  taxes  and  other  revenues  will 
be  put  upon  a  sound,  honest  and  economical  basis.  The  public  funds,  raised 
justly  and  collected  honestly,  will  be  applied  only  in  defraying  the  proper 
expenses  of  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  Philippine  government 
and  such  general  improvements  as  public  interests  demand.  Local  funds  col- 
lected for  local  purposes,  shall  not  be  diverted  to  other  ends.  With  such 
prudent  and  honest  fiscal  administration,  it  is  believed  the  needs  of  the  govern- 
ment will  in  a  short  time  become  compatible  with  a  considerable  reduction  in 
taxation. 

Seventh. — A  pure,  speedy  and  effective  administration  of  justice  will  be 
established,  by  which  the  evils  of  delay,  corruption  and  exploitation  will  be 
effectually  eradicated. 

Eighth. — The  construction  of  roads,  railroads  and  other  means  of  com- 
munication and  transportation  and  other  public  works  of  manifest  advantage 
to  the  people  will  be  promoted. 

Ninth. — Domestic  and  foreign  trade  and  commerce  and  other  industrial 
pursuits  and  the  general  development  of  the  country  in  the  interest  of  its 
inhabitants  will  be  the  constant  objects  of  solicitude  and  fostering  care. 

Tenth. — Effective  provision  will  be  made  for  the  establishment  of  elemen- 
tary schools,  in  which  the  children  of  the  people  will  be  educated.  Appro- 
priate facilities  will  also  be  provided  for  higher  education. 

Eleventh. — Reforms  in  all  departments  of  the  government,  and  branches 
of  the  public  service  and  all  corporations  closely  touching  the  common  life 
of  the  people  must  be  undertaken  without  delay,  and  affected  conformably 
with  common  right  and  justice,  in  a  way  to  satisfy  the  well-founded  demands 
and  the  highest  sentiments  and  aspirations  of  the  Philippine  people. 

New  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Speaking  of  the  proclamation,  Dr.  Schurman,  president  of  the  Commis- 
sion, said :  "  The  Filipinos  have  been  asking  unceasingly,  '  What  do  you 
propose  to  do  for  us  ? '  The  proclamation  answers  the  question,  and  it 
should  satisfy  them." 

Colonel  Charles  Denby,  a  member  of  the  commission,  remarked  :  "  It  is 
'the  most  important  proclamation  since  the  Declaration  of  Independence." 

The  invitation  extended  to  leading  representatives  of  the  Filipinos  to 
meet  the  Commissioners  was  in  accordance  with  that  provision  of  the  Presi- 
dent's instructions  authorizing  them  "  to  confer  authoritatively  with  any 
persons  resident  in  the  islands  from  whom  they  may  believe  themselves  able 
to  derive  information  or  suggestions  valuable  for  the  purposes  of  their  mis- 


GOVERNMENT   FOR  THE   FILIPINOS.  371 

Concerning  the  results  of  the  Commission's  investigation  up  to  this  time, 
and  the  character  of  its  proclamation,  Secretary  Hay  received  at  the  Depart- 
ment of  State  in  Washington  a  cablegram  from  President  Schurman  which 
described  the  work  of  the  Commission. 

Dr.  Schurman  said  that  after  a  month's  personal  observation  and  inter- 
views, with  different  classes  of  persons  he  found  the  insurrection  had  its 
origin  and  strength  in  the  Tagalog  provinces  around  Manila.  The  remaining 
provinces  of  North  and  South  Luzon  are  peopled  by  different  races,  and  the 
^inhabitants  of  the  rest  of  the  archipelago  are  not  natural  allies  of  the  Tago- 
logs,  but  unfriendly  rivals. 

During  the  month  while  the  treaty  of  peace  was  being  negotiated  in 
Paris  the  Tagalogs  sent  detachments  of  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  men  into 
all  the  other  provinces  to  seize  governments  as  robbers  hold  up  trains. 
Liberty  of  the  people  was  constrained  and  supremacy  was  enforced,  as  there 
were  no  American  forces  present  to  expel  the  Tagalogs.  Dr.  Schurman  said 
our  victories  had  a  good  effect  everywhere.  With  the  growth  of  a  general 
feeling  of  security,  the  population  would  doubtless  declare  for  the  United 
States. 

"  The  Philippine  people,"  said  Dr.  Schurman,  "  seem  discouraged  by  the 
valorous,  swift  and  irresistible  movements  of  the  American  troops,  against 
which  their  elaborate  defensive  works  were  useless." 

Review  of  the  Situation. 

The  situation  at  this  time  is  accurately  summed  up  as  follows  by  a  trav- 
eler who  had  excellent  opportunities  of  learning  the  intentions  of  the  insur- 
gents : 

"  I  left  Malabon  a  fortnight  ago,  and  arrived  at  Polo.  From  there  I  was 
sent  back  by  a  general,  being  badly  received.  I  started  again  the  next  day, 
walking,  but  was  halted  by  sentries.  I  said,  '  I  passed  yesterday,  why  not 
to-day  ?  "  I  was  allowed  to  pass,  and  arrived  at  the  railway  station  at  Mey- 
cauayan,  where  I  got  a  train  to  Malolos. 

"Aguinaldo  guaranteed  my  safety  along  the  line  of  the  railway.  I 
advised  the  English  residents  to  take  the  steamer  waiting  at  Sual.  All  the 
English  are  allowed  to  leave,  but  two  Americans  are  held  prisoners  in  Cal- 
umpit  and  daily  undergo  bad  treatment. 

"  The  natives  are  arrogant  and  have  no  respect  for  Europeans.  They 
respected  Aguinaldo's  pass,  but  spoke  loudly  of  how  spies  are  tortured.  The 
entire  population  are  under  arms.  They  are  forbidden  to  plant  any  crops 
except  rice.  There  is  immense  enthusiasm  in  the  Tagalog  provinces.  Further 
north  the  natives  want  peace. 


372  GOVERNMENT   FOR  THE  FILIPINOS. 

"  Food  and  money  are  abundant.  A  large  quantity  of  ammunition  is 
being  manufactured,  the  principal  depot  being  at  Bacolor,  in  the  province  of 
Pampanga.  Every  town  is  defended  by  good  trenches.  The  coast  towns  are 
deserted  and  prepared  for  burning,  if  the  Americans  attempt  to  land.  Order 
is  maintained  in  the  principal  towns,  but  there  are  reports  of  anarchy  in  the 
interior.  The  Chinese  are  often  murdered  and  robbed. 

"  The  Spanish  prisoners  are  quartered  in  towns  in  the  interior.  There 
are  large  numbers  at  San  Fernando,  in  the  province  ot  Pampanga.  Luna, 
the  Minister  of  War,  was  anti-foreign.  He  ordered  the  foreigners  to  take  up 
arms  on  pain  of  death.  Aguinaldo  obliged  him  to  retire  and  Pantallon  Garcia 
took  the  office.  He  is  more  courteous. 

"  The  English  embarked  on  a  Sual  steamer  and  were  unmolested.  The 
managers  of  the  rice  mills  at  Gerona  and  Bacambang,  and  Mr.  Higgins,  the 
manager  of  the  railway,  remained  behind  to  protect  their  interests.  Higgins 
has  no  authority.  The  insurgent  leaders  run  the  railway  and  remove  the 
rails  and  bridges  to  suit  their  plans.  Many  rich  Filipinos  at  San  Fernando 
wished  to  escape  to  Hong  Kong  for  fear  that  the  Americans  will  suspect  that 
they  support  the  insurgents. 

"  It  is  firmly  believed  in  the  provinces  that  the  Americans  have  suffered 
great  reverses.  The  insurgents  are  confident  of  the  ultimate  success  of 
Aguinaldo." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


Our  Naval  and  Military  Heroes  Celebrated  in  Song. 

VERY  remarkable  collection  of  poems  celebrating  our  victorieL 
in  the  Spanish-American  War  is  here  submitted  to  our  readers. 
The  battles  and  victories  of  the  war  inspired  many  poets  to  describe 
the  scenes  of  the  conflict  fci  glowing  colors.  Of  course,  the  larger 
number  and  the  loftiest  of  the  tributes  are  placed  upon  the  head  of  Admiral 
Dewey,  but  the  poetical  effusions  took  a  wide  range,  and,  being  patriotic  tc 
the  last  degree,  they  here  enrich  the  pages  of  this  volume. 

YANKEE  DEWEY. 


YANKEE  Dewey  went  to  sea, 
Sailing  on  a  cruiser, 
He  took  along  for  company, 
Of  men  and  guns,  a  few,  sir. 

Yankee  Dewey ;   Ha  !   Ha  !   Ha  ! 

Dewey,  you're  a  dandy ; 
With  men  and  guns  and  cruisers,  too, 

You're  certainly  quite  handy. 

He  sailed  away  to  the  Philippines, 
With  orders  for  to  snatch  them, 

And  thrash  the  Spaniards  right  and  left, 
Wherever  he  could  catch  them. 

And  Yankee  Dewey  did  it,  too, 

He  did  it  so  complete,  sir, 
That  not  a  blooming  ship  is  left, 

Of  all  that  Spanish  fleet,  sir. 


Oh,  Yankee  Dewey,  you're  a  peach, 

A  noble,  gallant  tar,  sir ; 
You're  "  out   of   sight,"    you're   out   of 
reach, 

We  hail  you  from  afar,  sir. 

We  greet  you  with  three  rousing  cheers, 
For  you  and  your  brave  crews,  sir ; 

For  the  deeds  you've  done  and  the  vic- 
tory won, 
For  Yankee  Doodle  Doo,  sir. 

Yankee  Dewey,  keep  it  up, 

You  certainly  are  handy, 
With  men  and  guns  and  cruisers,  too, 

Oh,  Dewey,  you're  a  dandy. 

O.  H.  COLE. 


A  TOAST  TO  COMMODORE  DEWEY. 

At  a  dinner  given  to  Commodore  George  Dewey  at  the  Metropolitan 
Club,  Washington,  November  27,  1897,  just  before  he  started  for  the  Asiatic 
Station,  the  following  prophetic  toast  was  offered  and  received  with  enthusiasm. 


FILL  all  your  glasses  full  to-night ; 
The  wind  is  off  the  shore ; 
And  be  it  feast  or  be  it  fight, 
We  pledge  the  Commodore. 

Through  days  of  storm,  through  days  of 

calm, 
On  broad  Pacific  Seas, 


At  anchor  off  the  Isles  of  Palm, 
Or  with  the  Japanese ; 

Ashore,  afloat,  on  deck,  below, 
Or  where  our  bull  dogs  roar, 

To  back  a  friend  or  breast  a  foe 
We  pledge  the  Commodore. 


373 


374 


POETRY   OF    THE  WAR. 


We  know  our  honor' 11  be  unstained, 

Where'er  his  pennant  iies; 
Our  rights  respected  and  maintained, 

Whatever  power  defies. 

A.nd  when  he  takes  the  homeward  tack, 

Beneath  an  admiral's  flag, 
We'll  hail  the  day  that  brings  him  back, 

And  have  another  jag. 

FOOLISH  QUESTIONS. 

I  SAW  a  sweet  young  mother  with 
Her  first  born  at  her  breast ; 
"And  what's  the  baby's  name?"  I  asked 

Of  her  so  richly  blessed. 
She  looked  at  me  with  pity,  as 

She  proudly  poised  her  head  :  — 
"We  call  him  Dewey,  sir,  of  course," 
In  tender  tones  she  said. 

I  met  a  dainty  little  girl 

Who  led  a  kitten  by  a-  string, 
And  as  I  stroked  her  head  I  asked  : — 

"What  do  you  call  the  pretty  thing?" 
She  looked  at  me  with  wide  blue  eyes, 

And,  as  she  went  her  way, 
"I  call  my  kitten  Dewey,  sir," 

I  heard  her  sweetly  say, 

I  met  a  eurly  headed  boy 

Who  had  a  brindle  pup ; 
"And  what's  you're  doggy's  name?"  I 
asked, 

As  I  held  the  creature  up. 
He  gazed  at  me  in  wonder,  and 

He  proudly  cocked  his  head  : — 
"  I  call  him  Dewey,  sir,  of  course  !" 

He  pityingly  said. 

I  stopped  beside  a  rustic  stile, 
i    And  heard  a  milkmaid  sing  a  song ; 
"And   what's   your   bossy's   name?"    I 
asked 

The  lassie,  as  she  came  along. 
She  looked  at  me  in  mild  surprise, 

And,  as  she  strode  away, 
"Why,  Dewey  is  her  name,  of  course!" 

I  heard  the  maiden  say. 


THE  HERO  OF  MANILA. 

DEWEY  !     Dewey  !     Dewey  J 
Is  the  hero  of  the  day. 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way — 
The  way  of  Hull  and  Perry, 

Decatur  and  the  rest — 
When  old  Europe  felt  the  clutches 

Of  the  Eagle  of  the  West ; 
That's  how  Dewey  smashed  the  Spaniard 

In  Manila's  crooked  bay, 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way. 

Dewey  I     Dewey  !     Dewey  ! 

A  Vermonter  wins  the  day ! 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way. 
By  one  who  cared  not  whether 

The  wind  was  high  or  low 
As  he  stripped  his  ships  for  battle 

And  sailed  forth  to  find  the  foe. 
And  he  found  the  haughty  Spaniard 

In  Manila's  crooked  bay, 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way. 

Dewey  !     Dewey  !     Dewey  ! 

He  has  met  the  Don's  array, 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way — 
A  way  of  fire  and  carnage, 

But  carnage  let  it  be, 
When  the  forces  of  the  tyrant 

Block  the  pathway  of  the  free ! 
So  the  Spanish  ships  are  missing 

From  Manila's  crooked  bay, 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way ! 

Dewey !     Dewey  !     Dewey ! 

Crown  with  victor  wreaths  of  May ; 
For  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old-fashioned  way; 
And  flags  that  wave  triumphant 

In  far  off  tropic  seas, 
With  their  code  of  symboled  color 

Fling  this  message  to  the  breeze  : 
"  We  have  routed  all  the  Spaniards 

From  Manila's  crooked  bay, 
And  the  Maine  has  been  remembered 

In  the  good,  old  fashioned  way." 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


375 


McILRATH  OF  MALATE. 

Acting  Sergeant  J.  A.  Mcllrath,  Bat- 
tery H,  Third  Artillery  (Regulars) ;  en- 
listed from  New  York ;  fifteen  years'  ser- 
vice. 

YES,  yes,  my  boy,  there's  no  mistake, 
You  put  the  contract  through ! 
You  lads  with  Shafter,  I'll  allow, 
Were  heroes,  tried  and  true; 

But  don't  forget  the  men  who  fought 

About  Manila  Bay, 
And  don't  forget  brave  Mcllrath 

Who  died  at  Malate. 

There  was  an  act  to  sing  about — 

An  eighteen-carat  deed, 
To  shine  beside  the  sister  gem 

Of  Switzer  Winkelried ! 

Yes,  I  was  with  him,  saw  him — well, 

You  want  to  hear  it  all — 
It  is  a  braver  story  than 

A  mighty  city's  fall ! 

The  night  was  black,  save  where  the  forks 

Of  tropic  lightning  ran, 
When,  with  a  long  deep  thunder-roar, 

The  typhoon  storm  began. 

Then,  suddenly  above  the  din, 

We  heard  the  steady  bay 
Of  volleys  from  the  trenches  where 

The  Pennsylvanians  lay. 

The  Tenth,  we  thought,  could  hold  their 
own 

Against  the  feigned  attack, 
And,  if  the  Spaniards  dared  advance, 

Would  pay  them  doubly  back. 

But  soon  we  mark'd  the  volleys  sink 

Into  a  scatter 'd  fire — 
And,  now  we  heard  the  Spanish  gun 

Boom  nigher  yet  and  nigher! 

Then,  like  a  ghost,  a  courier 
Seemed  past  our  picket  toss'd 

With  wild  hair  streaming  in  his  face — 
"We're  lost — we're  lost — we're  lost" 


"Front,  front — in  God's  name — front  I" 
he  cried : 

"  Our  ammunition's  gone !  " 
He  turned  a  face  of  dazed  dismay — 

And  thro'  the  night  sped  on ! 

"Men,  follow  me!  "  cried  Mcllrath, 

Our  acting  Sergeant  then ; 
And  when  he  gave  the  word  he  knew 

He  gave  the  word  to  men ! 

Twenty  there — not  one  man  more — 

But  down  the  sunken  road 
We  dragged  the  guns  of  Battery  H, 

Nor  even  stopped  to  load ! 

Sudden,  from  out  the  darkness  poured 

A  storm  of  Mauser  hail — 
But  not  a  man  there  thought  to  pause, 

Nor  any  man  to  quail ! 

Ahead,  the  Pennsylvanians'  guns 

In  scatter'd  firing  broke ; 
The  Spanish  trenches,  red  with  flame, 

In  fiercer  volleys  spoke  ! 

Down  with  a  rush  our  twenty  came — 

The  open  field  we  pass'd — 
And  in  among  the  hard-press'd  Tenth 

We  set  our  feet  at  last! 

Up,  with  a  leap,  sprang  Mcllrath, 
Mud-spatter' d  worn  and  wet, 

And,  in  an  instant,  there  he  stood 
High  on  the  parapet! 

"Steady,  boys!  we've  got  'em  now — 

Only  a  minute  late ! 
It's  all  right,  lads — we've  got  'em  whipp'u. 

Just  give  'em  volleys  straight! 

Then,  up  and  down  the  parapet 

With  head  erect  he  went, 
As  cool  as  when  he  sat  with  us 

Beside  our  evening  tent !  " 

Not  one  of  us,  close  shelter'd  ther* 

Down  in  the  trench's  pen, 
But  felt  that  he  would  rather  die 

Than  shame  or  grieve  him  then ! 

The  fire,  so  close  to  being  quench'd 

In  panic  and  defeat, 
Leap'd  forth,  by  rapid  volleys  sped, 

In  one  long  deadly  sheet ! 


376 


POETRY   OF    THE   WAR. 


A  cheer  went  up  along  the  line 
As  breaks  the  thunder-call — 

But,  as  it  rose,  great  God  !  we  saw 
Our  gallant  Sergeant  fall  ? 

He  sank  into  our  outstretch 'd  arms 
Dead — but  immortal  grown  ; 

And  Glory  brighten'd  where  he  fell, 
And  valor  claim' d  her  own ! 

JOHN  JEROME  ROONEY. 

THE  MISSING  ONE. 

I    DON'T  think  I'll  go  into  town  to  see 
the  boys  come  back  ; 
My  bein'  there  would  do  no  good  in  all 

that  jam  and  pack ; 
There'll  be  enough  to  welcome  them — to 

cheer  them  when  they  come 
A-marchin'    bravely  to    the    time   that's 

beat  upon  the  drum — 
They'll  never  miss  me  in  the  crowd — not 

one  of  'em  will  care 
If,  when  the  cheers  are  ringing  loud,  I'm 

not  among  them  there. 

I  went  to  see  them  march  away — I  hol- 
lered with  the  rest, 

And  didn't  they  look  fine,  that  day, 
a-marchin'  four  abreast, 

With  my  boy  James  up  near  the  front,  as 
handsome  as  could  be, 

And  wavin'  back  a  fond  farewell  to  mother 
and  to  me  ! 

I  vow  my  old  knees  trimbled  so,  when 
they  had  all  got  by, 

I  had  to  jist  set  down  upon  the  curbstone 
there  and  cry. 

And   now  they're   comin'    home   again ! 

The  record  that  they  won 
Was  sich  as   shows  we   still   have   men, 

when  men's  work's  to  be  done ! 
There  wasn't  one  of  'em  that  flinched, 

each  feller  stood  the  test — 
Wherever  they  were  sent  they  sailed  right 

in  and  done  their  best ; 
They  didn't  go  away  to  play — they  knowed 

what  was  in  store — 
But   there's  a  grave  somewhere   to-day, 

down  on  the  Cuban  shore. 


I  guess  that  I'll  not  go  to  town  to  see  the 

boys  come  in ; 
I  don't  jist  feel  like  mixin'  up  in  all  that 

crush  and  din ; 
There'll  be  enough  to  welcome  them—  to 

cheer  them  when  they  come 
A-marchin'    bravely  to   the    time    that's 

beat  upon  the  drum, 
And  the  boys'll  never  notice — not  a  one 

of  'em  will  care, 

For  the  soldier  that  would  miss  me  ain't 
a-goin'  to  be  there  ! 

S.  E.  KISER. 


WELCOME  TO  DEWEY. 

COME  home !    The  land  that  sent  you 
forth 
From    East  and   West,   from    South  and 

North, 

Looks  wistfully  beyond  her  gates, 
Extends  her  arms  and  waits — and  waits  ! 

At  duty's  call  she  stilled  her  woe ; 
She  smiled,  through  tears,  and  bade  you  go 
To  face  the  death  you  would  not  shun. 
Brave  hearts,  return  !    Your  task  is  done. 

Not  as  you  journeyed  come  you  back ; 
A  glow  is  about  your  track 
Of  deeds  that  vanquished  tyranny 
And  set  a  tortured  people  free  ! 

Deeds,  sprung  of  manhood's  finest  grace, 
That  envious  time  will  not  efface; 
Deeds  that  proclaim  a  nation's  worth, 
And   crown   the    land    that    gave    them 
birth. 

America  but  waits  to  greet 
And  bless  you,  kneeling  at  her  feet. 
Your  standards  fair  in  honor  furled, 
The  proudest  mother  in  the  world  ! 

Come  home  !     The  land    that  sent    you 

forth 
From    East  and   West,   from  South  and 

North, 

Looks  wistfully  beyond  her  gates, 
Extends  her  arms  and  waits  ! 

FLORENCE  EARLE  COATES. 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


377 


THE  YANKEE  DUDE'LL  DO. 

WHEN  Cholly  swung  his  golf  stick  on 
the  links, 

Or  knocked  the  tennis  ball  across  the  net, 
With  his  bangs  done  up  in  cunning  little 

kinks — 
When   he  wore   the   tallest   collar   he 

could  get, 

Oh,  it  was  the  fashion  then 
To  impale  him  on  the  pen — 
To  regard  him  as  a  being  made  of  putty 

through  and  through ; 
But  his  racquet's  laid  away, 
He  is  roughing  it  to-day, 
And  heroically  proving  that  the  Yankee 
dude'll  do. 

When  Algy,  as  some  knight  of  old  ar- 
rayed, 
Was  the  leading  figure  at  the  "  fawncy 

ball," 
We    loathed    him    for   the   silly  part  he 

played ; 
He  was  set  down  as  a  monkey — that 

was  all ! 

Oh,  we  looked  upon  him  then 
As  unfit  to  class  with  men, 
As  one  whose  heart  was  putty  and  whose 

brains  were  made  of  glue — 

But  he's  thrown  his  cane  away, 

And  he  grasps  a  gun,  to-day, 

While  the  world  beholds  him,  knowing 

that  the  Yankee  dude'll  do. 

When  Clarence  cruised   about  upon  his 

yacht, 
Or  drove  out  with  his  footman  through 

the  park, 

His  mamma,  it  was  generally  thought, 
Ought  to  have  him  in  her  keeping  after 

dark! 

Oh,  we  ridiculed  him  then, 
We  impaled  him  on  the  pen, 
We  thought  he  was  effeminate,  we  dubbed 

him  "Sissy,"  too— 
But  he  nobly  marched  away — 
He  is  eating  pork,  to-day, 
And  heroically  proving  that  the  Yankee 
dude'll  do. 

How  they  hurled  themselves  against  the 
angry  foe, 


In  the  jungle  and  the  trenches  on  the 

hill! 
When    the  word    to    charge   was   given, 

every  dude  was  on  the  go — 
He  was  there  to  die,  to  capture  or  to 

kill! 

Oh,  he  struck  his  level,  when 
Men  were  called  upon  again 
To  preserve  the  ancient  glory  of  the  old 

red,  white  and  blue  ! 
He  has  thrown  his  spats  away, 
He  is  wearing  spurs  to-day, 
And  the  world  will    please  take  notice 
that  the  Yankee  dude'll  do. 

S.  E.   KISER. 

THE  BRAVEST  SAILOR  OF  ALL. 

I  KNOW  a   naval   officer,    the   bravest 
fighting  man ; 
He  wears  a  jaunty  sailor  suit,  his  cap  says 

"Puritan." 
And  all  day  long  he  sails  a  ship  between 

our  land  and  Spain, 

And  he  avenges,  every  hour,  the  martyrs 
of  the  "  Maine." 

His  warship  is  six  inches  square,  a  wash- 
tub  serves  for  ocean ; 

But  never  yet,  on  any  coast,  was  seen 
such  dire  commotion. 

With  one  skilled  move  his  boat  is  sent 
from  Cuba  to  midsea, 

And  just  as  quickly  back  it  comes  to  set 
Havana  free. 

He   fights  with  Dewey;    plants  his  flag 

upon  each  island's  shore, 
Then  off  with  Sampson's  fleet  he  goes  to 

shed  the  Spanish  gore. 
He  comes  to  guard  New  England's  coast, 

but  ere  his  anchor  falls, 
He  hurries  off  in  frightful  speed,  to  shell 

Manila's  walls 

The  Philippines  so  frequently  have  yielded 
to  his  power, 

There's  very  little  left  of  them,  I'm  cer- 
tain at  this  hour ; 

And  when  at  last  he  falls  asleep,  it  is  to 
wake  again 

And  hasten  into  troubled  seas  and  go  and 
conquer  Spain. 

ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX. 


378 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


A  PEACE'BUL  FAMBLY  MAN. 

OH,  de  sun  shine  hot  in  ev'y  spot 
En  de  young  co'n  wavin'  green  ; 
En  de  cotton  needin'  choppin' 

Des  de  wuss  you  ever  seen  ! 
En  I  ain't  got  time  fer  fightin', 

Kase  de  grass  '11  take  de  Ian'  ; 
En  de  plow  en  hoe  is  all  I  know — 
I  a  peace' bul  fambly  man  ! 

Go  'long  wid  dat  musket ! 

I  buil'  on  a  diffunt  plan; 
De  craps  mus'  grow ; 
En  de  whole  worl'  know 

I  a  peace' bul  fambly  man. 

Oh,  de  sun  shine  hot  in  e'vy  spot 

En  de  hot  san'  bu'n  yo'  feet ; 
En  de  co'n,  he  say  :   "  Please  plough  dis 
way, 

Kase  I  pa'ch  up  wid  de  heat !  " 
En  I  ain't  got  time  fer  fightin', 

Kase  de  grass  '11  make  a  stan', 
En  de  plow  en  hoe  is  all  I  know — 

I  a  peace' bul  fambly  man ! 

Go  'long  wid  dat  musket ! 

I  buiP  on  a  diffunt  plan  ; 
De  craps  mus'  grow, 
En  de  whole  worl'  know 

I  a  peace'bul  fambly  man  ! 

MY  SOLDIER  BOY. 

TIT"  HEN  night  comes  on,  when  morning 
VV       breaks,  they  rise, 
Those  earnest  prayers  by  faithful  lips 

oft  said, 
And  pierce  the  blue  which  shrouds  the 

inner  skies : 
"  God  guard  my  boy ;  God  grant  he  is 

not  dead!" 
* '  My  soldier  boy — where  is  he  camped 

to-night?" 

:<  God  guard  him  waking,  sleeping  or  in 
fight!" 

Far,  far  away  where  tropic  suns  cast  down 
Their  scorching  rays,  where  sultry  damp 

airs  rise 
And  haunting  breath  of  sickness  holds 

its  own, 

A  homesick  boy,  sore  wounded,  suffer- 
ing lies. 


"Mother!      Mother!"   is   his    ceaseless 

cry. 
"  Come,  mother,  come,  and  see  me  ere  I 

die!" 

Where  is  war's  glory  ?     Ask  the  trumpet's 

blare, 

The  marching   columns    run  to  bitter 
strife ; 

Ask  of  the  raw  recruit  who  knows  as  yet 
Naught  of  its  horrors,  naught  of  its  loss 
of  life; 

Ask  not  the  mother ;  weeping  for  her  son, 

She  knows  the  heartaches  following  vic- 
tories won. 

CAMP  CALLS. 

To  the  various  camp  bugle  calls  soldiers 
attach  words  that  reflect  this  "  soldiers' 
privilege"  of  grumbling  to  the  rhythm 
of  the  calls.  The  following  are  sample 
jingles  : 

T  CAN'T  git  'em  up  ! 

1     I  can't  git  'em  up  ! 

I  can't  git  'em  up  in  the  morning. 

I  can't  git  'em  up, 

I  can't  git  'em  up, 

I  can't  git  'em  up  at  all ! 

The  corporal's  worse  than  the  sergeant, 

The  sergeant's  worse  than  lieutenant, 

And  the  captain's  the  worst  of  all ! 

*  *     * 

Go  to  the  stable, 

All  ye  that  are  able, 
And  give  your  horses  some  corn. 

For  if  you  don't  do  it, 

The  captain  will  know  it, 

And  give  you  the  devil 
As  sure  as  you're  born  ! 

*  *    * 

Oh,  where  has  that  cook  gone, 

Cook  gone, 

Cook  gone. 

Where  has  that  cook  gone  ? 
Where  the  aitch  is  he-e-e ! 

Twenty  years  till  dinner  time, 

Dinner  time, 

Dinner  time, 

Twenty  years  till  dinner  tim$, 
So  it  seems  to  me-e-e  1 


POETRY   OF   THE  WAR. 


370 


Come  and  git  your  quinine, 
Quinine,  quinine,  quinine  ! 
Come  and  git  your  quinine, 
And  your  pills ! 

*     *     * 

Soupy,  soupy,  soup — 
Without  any  beans ! 

An' coffee,  coffee,  coffee — 
The  meanest  ever  seen  ! 

THE  RED,  THE  WHITE  AND  BLUE. 

WE  are  marching  to  the  conflict 
With  a  courage  born  of  power, 
And  our  hearts  are  all  undaunted 

In  the  battle's  darkest  hour. 
Where  the  Philippines  lie  smiling 

In  the  bosom  of  the  deep, 
Where  upon  Havana's  fortress 

Spanish  soldiers  careless  sleep  : 
There  shall  ring  our  shout  of  triumph, 

There  shall  stand  our  brave  and  true, 
'Neath  the  starry  flag  of  Freedom, 

'Neath  the  Red,  the  White  and  Blue. 

We  are  marching  to  the  conflict, 

And  we  shall  not  go  in  vain, 
With  the  Cuban  wrong  to  speed  us 

And  our  well-remembered  Maine. 
By  her  dead  of  slow  starvation, 

By  the  pangs  of  child  and  wife, 
By  a  rule  of  devastation 

And  a  vain  and  cruel  strife, 
Spain  has  forfeited  our  mercy, 

And  her  conduct  she  shall  rue ; 
*Tis  a  valiant  army  gathers 

'Neath  the  Red,  the  White  and  Blue. 

We  are  marching  to  the  conflict 

And  shall  soon  the  foeman  meet; 
But  the  banner  floating  o'er  us 

Never  yet  has  known  defeat. 
Onward,  then,  across  the  waters 

That  our  land  from  theirs  divide, 
Onward,  then,  till  Yankee  valor 

Tests  its  strength  with  Spanish  pride  ! 
Ere  another  month  be  ended 

There  is  noble  work  to  do, 
And  a  glorious  achievement 

*Nea£h  the  Red,  the  White  and  Blue. 

LALIA  MITCHELL. 


THE  FLAG  GOES  BY. 

HATS  off! 
Along  the  street  there  comes 
A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums, 
A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky : 

Hats  off ! 

The  flag  is  passing  by  ! 
Blue  and  crimson  and  white  it  shines 
Over  the  steel-tipped,  ordered  lines, 

Hats  off! 

The  colors  before  us  fly ! 
But  more  than  the  flag  is  passing  by, 
Sea-fights  and  land-fights  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  state ; 
Cheers  of  victory  on  dying  lips ; 
Weary  marches  and  sinking  ships ; 
Days  of  plenty  and  years  of  peace 
March  of  a  strong  land's  swift  increase; 
Equal  justice,  right  and  law, 
Stately  honor  and  reverend  awe  ; 
Sign  of  a  nation  great  and  strong, 
To  ward  her  people  from  foreign  wrong ; 
Pride  and  glory  and  honor,  all 
Live  in  the  colors  to  stand  or  fall. 

Hats  off ! 

IRREPRESSIBLE. 

I  AM  the  swiftest  thing  on  earth  ! 
I  jump  from  continent  to  continent' 

I  leap 

Across  the  deep, 

From  Occident  to  Orient ! 

I  never  rest, 

I  never  stop ! 

From  east  to  west, 

From  field  to  shop 

I  swoop — 

Now  with  a  whoop 

Of  exultation, 

Now  with  a  tinge  of  perturbation ! 

Day  after  day 

I  retain  my  wonderful  gait ! 

I  never  rest,  I  never  stay — 

I  am  busier  than  Fate  ! 

I  am  here  and  there, 

I  am  everywhere 

At  the  same  time — 
1  In  every  land — in  every  clime — 
|  I  am  always  busy  with  a  big  R, 
j  And  men  quit  eating  to  consider  mtt— 
i  I  am  the  war  Rumor. 


380 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


O 


A  SONG  OF  THE  FIGHT. 

THE    glory    and   the  story  of  the 
_       fight, 
The  dashing  of  the  war-steeds  in  the 

strife — 

The  charge,  and  the  retreat, 
And  the  flag  the  winding-sheet 

Of  faces  staring  starward  from  the  strife, 

Lost  to  life — 

And  the  wailing  of  the  mother  and  the 
wife! 

O  the  glory  and  the  story  of  the  fight ! 
The  leaving  for   the   battleground   of 

Fate, 

With  glory  for  the  goal, 
Where  the  cannon -thunders  roll, 

And  kisses  for  the  woman  at  the  gate 

Who  shall  wait 

For    the    unreturning    footsteps,   long 
and  late ! 

O  the  glory  and  the  story  of  the  fight ! 
Blow,  bugles,  o'er  the  flowering  mea- 
dows— blow ! 

But  when  the  fight  is  done — 
Wake  ye  each  trampled  one 

That  sought  to  see  the  sun  of  glory  glow ! 

Bugles  blow ! 

But  the  dead  beneath  the  drooped  flags 
shall  not  know ! 


ARMY  DIET. 

Y  father  says  'at  sojers  is 

The  braves'  mens  'at  ever  was; 


'At  when  they  hears  the  shots  go  "  Whiz  1 ' ' 

They  don't  mind  it  a  bit,  bekuz 
The  whiz  means  'at  you  ain't  got  hit, 
An'  so  they  ist  don't  keer  a  bit. 

Pa  says  'at  sojers  knows  a  lot, 

An'  they  can  walk  "  ist  like  one  man," 
An'  aim  so  well  'at  every  shot 

Will  hit  a  sneakin'  Spaniard,  an' 
He  says  they  have  to  eat  "  hard  tacks  " 
An'  carry  "  raccoons"  on  their  backs. 

But  when  I  ast  him  why  they  do 
He  ist  busts  out  a-laughin' ,  nen 

He  says,  "  You  know  a  thing  or  two, 
My  son!  "  an'  laughs  an'  laughs  again, 

An'  says,  "  'At's  ist  the  very  thing — 

The  sojers  eats  the  tax,  'i  jing!  " 


THE  YOUNGEST  BOY  IN  BLUE. 

When  the  Second  Naval  Battalion — 
better  known,  perhaps,  as  the  Brooklyn 
Naval  Reserve — occupied  the  old  Thir- 
teenth regiment  armory,  at  Flatbush  ave- 
nue and  Hanson  place,  the  boys  vied  with 
each  other  in  contributing  books,  pic- 
tures, flags  and  other  things  that  helped  to 
brighten  the  old  company  rooms  and 
made  them  presentable  when  graced  oc- 
casionally by  the  fair  sex. 

Pinned  on  the  bulletin  board  in  the 
Third  division  room  one  night,  among  a 
lot  of  warlike  orders,  were  found  the  fol- 
lowing unsigned  verses : 

OLD  Uncle  Sam  has  a  fine,  new  boy( 
The  youngest  of  all  in  blue; 
He's  the  Naval  Reserve,  with  lots  of  nerve, 

And  plenty  of  courage,  too. 
So  give  him  a  place  in  the  family,  lads, 
We've  plenty  for  him  to  do. 

At  sea  he  chaffs  the  sailor  men, 
And  joins  in  their  daily  work 

With  all  his  might   (though  he'd  rather 

fight), 
For  he  never  was  built  for  a  shirk. 

So  sling  his  hammock  up  for'ard,  lads, 
And  teach  him  to  use  the  dirk. 

On  land  he  elbows  and  jostles  about, 
Or  maiches  all  day  in  the  sun, 

With  a  cheery  smile  for  every  mile, 
And  a  frolic  when  day  is  done; 

But  when  you  get  in  a  skirmish,  men, 
He  doesn't  know  how  to  run. 

Then  fill  your  mugs  to  the  young  'un,  lads, 
Who  mixes  with  every  crew; 

On  land  or  sea,  wherever  he  be, 
We'll  always  find  him  true, 

And  we'll  give  him  a  place  in  the  family 

lads, 
For  there's  plenty  for  him  to  do. 

OF  A  TRUTH. 

THEY  say  that  Dewey  is  a  dude." 
"Well,  if  the  story's  true, 
What  glorious  deeds,  when  duty  calls 
A  Yankee  dude'll  do!" 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


381 


THE  STAY-AT-HOME'S  RESOLVE. 

I'M  going  to  buy  a  sailor  suit,  with  Texas 
on  the  cap, 
And  I  shall  be  set  up  for  life,  no  matter 

what  may  hap; 
For  it  is  quite  the  fashion  now  to  take  our 

men-of-war 

And  give  'em  gratis  everything  they  choose 
to  ask  us  for. 

They  ride  upon  the  cable-cars,  and  don't 

pay  any  fare; 
They  ride   upon   the   whirling   "L"   as 

freely  as  the  air; 
They  go  into   the  theatres,  and  get  the 

finest  seats 
At  just  the  same  expense  as  when  some 

other  fellow  treats. 

They  hie  them  to  the  cooling  coast,  unto 

the  big  hotels, 
And  get  the  best  attention  from  the  lowly 

and  the  swells; 
And  when  they  ask  the  landlord  for  his 

bill,  the  fellow  twirls 
And  says,  "There's  not  a  cent  to  pay; 

come  out  and  kiss  the  girls !  ' ' 

I'm  mighty  glad  that  this  is  so:   'tis  just 

as  it  should  be. 
I  rather  wish,  however,  that  these  things 

would  come  to  me, 
And,  though  I  stayed  at  home  while  they 

plunged  deep  into  the  row, 
I'm  going  to  buy  a  sailor  suit,  and  try  it 

anyhow. 

"  ARMA  VIRUMQUE  CANO." 

THEY  are  shouting  the  praise  of  the 
captains,  of  admirals,  commodores, 
too, 
Of  colonels,  lieutenants  and  majors ;  with 

ensigns,  cadets,  not  a  few; 
For  these  there  is  fame,  there  is  glory — a 

forest  of  laurels — but  when 
Do  they  honor  the  dauntless  "  high  pri- 
vate ?  ' '  I  sing  of  arms  and  the  men  ! 

Of  the  picket  that  paces  the  outpost,  a 
target  for  shot  and  for  shell, 

Uncheered  by  the  voice  of  a  comrade, 
alone  in  the  wild,  tangled  dell; 


Of  the  sailor  on  deck  in  the  twilight,  who 
watches  the  bright  evening  star 

And  knows  that  it  shines  on  his  children, 
beyond  the  horizon  afar. 

Of  the  soldier  that  lies  in  the  trenches, 

scorched  and  chilled  by  the  sun  and 

the  rain, 
Before  him  the  bellowing  cannon,  around 

him  the  wounded  and  slain ; 
With  gaunt  finger  pointed  toward  him, 

rides 

Death  on  his  pale  horse  astride, 
At  his  heels  the  dread  serpent  of  fever, 

with  hunger  and  thirst  at  his  side. 

Of  the  gunner  whose  eye  is  so  steady;  of 
the  coal-passer  down  in  the  hold; 

What  they  do — what  they  dare — what 
they  suffer — oh !  sure  not  the  half  has 
been  told ! 

And  our  Schley  made  his  own  fame  the 
brighter,  to  shine  through  the  centu- 
ries, when 

He  cried  as  the  city  surrendered,   "Let 
the  officers  cheer  for  the  men !  ' ' 
MRS.  SKIPWITH  H.  COALE. 

THE  LADIES  OF  OLD  CADIZ. 

I'D  like  to  go  to  Cadiz, 
Just  to  see  those  witching  ladies, 
Those  witching,   witching  ladies,  where 

the  orange  blossoms  blow; 
With  their  dainty  cigarillas, 
And  their  quite  too  sweet  mantillas — 
Oh,  to  Cadiz,  with  its  ladies,  I  will  go. 

And  when  our  guns  were  booming, 

With  a  pity  quite  consuming 

I  would  say,  "Oh,  charming  ladies,  please 

to  hustle  now  abroad. 
For,  although  we  humble  Cadiz, 
We  don't  war  against  the  ladies, 
And  the  ladies  of  old  Cadiz  need  not  fear 

the  Yankee  sword." 

And  with  their  cigarillas, 

And  their  all-too-cute  mantillas, 

I  would  load  up  every  cruiser  with  this 

fascinating  crew; 
And  so  by  easy  stages 
I  would  bring  these  fair  hostages, 
All  these  ladies  of  old  Cadiz,  far  across 

the  ocean  blue. 


382 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


THE  REQ'LAR  ARMY  MAN. 

HE  ain't  no  gold-laced  "  Belvidere," 
Ter  sparkle  in  the  sun  ; 
He  don't  parade  with  gay  cockade, 

And  posies  in  his  gun ; 
He  ain't  no  "  pretty  soldier  boy," 

So  lovely,  spick  and  span ; 
He  wears  a  crust  of  tan  and  dust, 
The  Reg'lar  Army  man ; 

The  marchin',  parchin', 
Pipe-clay  starchin', 
Reg'lar  Army  man. 

He  ain't  at  home  in  Sunday-school, 

Nor  yet  a  social  tea  ; 
And  on  the  day  he  gets  his  pay 

He's  apt  ter  spend  it  free  ; 
He  ain't  no  temp'rance  advocate; 

He  likes  ter  fill  the  can ; 
He's  kinder  rough  an',  maybe,  tough, 

The  Reg'lar  Army  man ; 
The  rarin',  tarin', 
Sometimes  swearin', 

Reg'lar  Army  man. 

No  State'll  call  him  "  noble  son  ;  " 

He  ain't  no  ladies'  pet, 
But  let  a  row  start  anyhow, 

They'll  send  for  him,  you  bet ! 
He  don't  cut  any  ice  at  all 

In  fash'n's  social  plan  ; 
He  gits  the  job  ter  face  a  mob, 

The  Reg'lar  Army  man  ; 
The  millin',  drillin', 
Made  for  killin', 

Reg'lar  Army  man. 

They  ain't  no  tears  shed  over  him 

When  he  goes  off  ter  -war ; 
He  gits  no  speech  nor  prayerful  l  •  preach' ' 

From  Mayor  or  Governor  ; 
He  packs  his  little  knapsack  up 

And  trots  off  in  the  van, 
Ter  start  the  fight  and  start  it  right, 

The  Reg'lar  Army  man ; 
The  ratlin',  battlin', 
Colt  or  Gatlin', 

Reg'lar  Army  man. 

He  makes  no  fuss  about  the  job, 

He  don't  talk  big  or  brave, 
He  knows  he's  in  ter  fight  and  win 

Or  help  fill  up  a  grave ; 


I  He  ain't  no  "mamma's  darlin',"  but 

He  does  the  best  he  can ; 
And  he's  the  chap  that  wins  the  scrap, 
The  Reg'lar  Army  man  ; 
The  dandy,  handy, 
Cool  and  sandy, 
Reg'lar  Army  man. 

JOE  LINCOLN. 

HOW  A  SOLDIER  IS  MADE. 

A  CHILD  is  born — it  gasps  and  cries, 
And  clasps  its  wee  fists  to  its  eyes ; 
It  stares  at  those  who  stand  around, 

And  sleeps  a  stranger  unto  care, 
While  she  that  smiles  o'er  joys  newfound, 
Prays  for  him  ere 
He  needs  her  prayer. 

A  hundred  childish  ills  he  worries  through, 
A  thousand  times  his  life  hangs  by  a 

thread ; 

He  falls,  when  there  is  nothing  else  to  do, 
From   some   high    perch,    and    strikes 

upon  his  head  ! 
Ah,  who  shall  say  God  keeps  him  not  in 

sight  ? 
Nor  hears  the  prayers  she   offers   up  at 

night. 

Behold  him  bending  o'er  his  book : 
Think  of  the  patience  and  the  care, 

The  planning  and  the  toil  it  took 
To  place  him  there  ! 

Toil  and  hope  and  despair, 

Grieving  and  doubting  and  joy; 
Days  that  were  dark  and  days  that  were 
fair 

For  those  who  love  the  boy ; 
Years  that  have  wearily  dragged, 

Years  that  have  joyously  passed, 
Hopes  that  have  flown   and   griefs   that 
have  lagged — 

To  make  him  a  man  at  last. 

Hark  to  the  summons  that  comes  ! 
Hear  the  merciless  roll  of  the  drums  ! 

The  man  for  whom  plans  were  made 

He  for  whom  schemes  were  laid, 
Must  brush  them  aside,  for  somewhere 

Somebody  has  wronged  some  one — 
Let  the  banner  wave  high  in  the  air, 

There  is  soul-stirring  work  to  be  done  ! 


POETRY   OF  THE   WAR. 


383 


Down  through  the  valley  and  over  the 

slope, 

A  regiment  sweeps  to  the  fray ! 
What  of  the  prayers,  the  toil  the  hope, 
And  the  lofty  plans  of  yesterday  ? 
An  angry  shot, 
A  crimson  clot, 
And  the  smiles  and  tears 
Of  twenty  years 

End  in  a  lump  of  lifeless  clay. 

S.  E.  KISER. 

THAT  STARRY  FLAG  OF  OURS. 

UNFURL  the  starry  banner, 
Till  with  loving  eyes  we  view 
The  stars  and  stripes  we  honor 

And  the  folds  of  azure  blue. 
* Tis  the  pride  of  all  our  nation 

And  the  emblem  of  its  powers — 
The  gem  of  all  creation 

Is  that  starry  flag  of  ours. 
Then  raise  aloft  "Old  Glory," 

And  its  colors  bright  surround, 
In  battle  fierce  and  gory, 

Or  in  peace  with  honor  bound. 
Let  it  float  from  spire  and  steeple, 

And  from  house-tops,  masts  and  towers, 
For  the  banner  of  the  people 

Is  that  starry  flag  of  ours. 
Now,  behold  it,  bright  and  peerless, 

In  the  light  of  freedom's  sky; 
See  its  colors  floating,  fearless 

As  the  eagle  soaring  high. 
And  amid  the  cannon's  rattle 

And  the  bullets'  deadly  showers, 
Ten  million  men  will  battle 

For  that  starry  flag  of  ours. 

THE  BRIDES  OF  DEATH. 

THERE'S  a  cleft  in  the  darkling  sea 
coast  wall 
That   hides  the    town    like  a  sheltering 

pall, 
And   the    Morro    looks   down   from   the 

precipice  crest 
At  the   sheltered  ships  on  the  harbor's 

breast — 

At  the  anchored  ships  that  idly  swing, 
Flving  the  flag  of  the  Spanish  king. 


"  Nail  to  the  mast  the  yellow  and  red," 
The  grave  old  Spanish  Admiral  said : 
And  the  lovely  Infanta  led  the  line, 
And  the  bridesmaids  followed  her  through 

the  brine — 

Followed  her  out  of  the  harbor  mouth 
To  the  fatal  tryst  in  the  open  south. 

Never  a  bride  went  down  the  hall, 

In  the  maze  of  the  dance  of  her  marriage 

ball, 

With  so  fine  a  grace  or  an  air  so  free 
As  the  Spanish  ships  stood  out  to  sea  ; 
And  never  the  brides  of  God  took  veil, 
In  the  darksome  depth  of  the  convent's 

pale, 

With  so  lofty  a  mien  of  sacrifice 
As  they  bided  the  fling  of  the  battle's 

dice. 

Their  splendrous  standards  streamed  on 

high 
'Gainst  the  turquoise  blue  of  the  tropic 

sky; 

Their  polished  brass  work  flashes  flung, 
Like  lustrous  jewels  around  them  strung ; 
And  their  bows  were  veiled  in  the  flimsy 

lace 
Of  the  spray  comb  tossed  by  the  charging 

pace. 

But,  ah !  what  terrible  guests  are  thesec 
Fast  gliding  in  from  the  outer  seas, 
Gliding  along  in  drapery  black 
That   fumes   and   pours    from   the  high 

smokestack? 
And,  ah!   what  thund'rous  chimes  that 

greet 

The  stately  advance  of  the  bridal  fleet  ? 
But  is  this  the  peal  of  the  wedding  bell — • 
This  roaring  voice  like  the  voice  of  hell  ? 

'Tis   the   wrathsome  cry  of  the   pitiless 

Fates— 

The  voice  is  the  voice  of  the  sister  States. 
Of  the   sister  States  of  the  slaughtered 

Maine, 

Crying  aloud  for  the  blood  of  Spain — 
Battle  ship,  cruiser,  torpedo  boat, 
That  rush  like  dogs  at  the  Spanish  throat- 
Alas  for  the  brides  in  yellow  and  red 
That  out  of  the  harbor  so  lightly  sped, 


384 


POETRY   OF   THE  WAR. 


That  reel  and  faint  fn  the  fearful  dance 
'Mid  the  choKe  of  the  smoke  where  the 

lightnings  glance, 

While  ever  mingles  the  thunder's  roar 
With  the  boom  of  the  surf  on  the  nearing 

shore. 

They  were  six  that  steamed  to  the  open 

sea — 
The  brides  and  the  maids  so  swift  and 

free — 
And   six   are   the   corpses  that  line    the 

strand, 

Prone  in  the  pools  of  the  tide  left  sand ; 
And  the  gathering  vultures  circle  high 
O'er   the  stiffened   limb  and   the  death 

closed  eye. 

THE  WAR  SHIP  DIXIE. 

THEY'VE  named  a  cruiser  "  Dixie" — 
that's  what  the  papers  say — 
An'  I  hears  they're  goin'  to  man  her  with 

the  boys  that  wore  the  gray ; 
Good   news !     It   sorter  thrills   me  and 

makes  me  want  ter  be 
Whar'  the  ban'  is  playin'  "  Dixie,"  and 
the  "  Dixie  "  puts  ter  sea  ! 

They've  named  a  cruiser  "  Dixie."     An' 

fellers,  I'll  be  boun' 
You're  goin'   ter  see  some  fightin'  when 

the  "  Dixie  "  swings  aroun'  ! 
Ef  any  o'  them  Spanish  ships  shall  strike 

her,  East  or  West, 
Just  let  the  ban'  play  "  Dixie,"  an'  the 

boys  '11  do  the  rest ! 

I  want  ter  see  that  "  Dixie  " — I  want  ter 

take  my  stan' 
On  the  deck  of  her  and  holler,  "  Three 

cheers  fer  Dixie  Ian' !  " 
She  means  we're  all  united — the  war  hurts 

healed  away. 
An'   "Way  Down   South   in   Dixie"   is 

national  to-day ! 

I  bet  you  she's  a  good  un  !    I'll  stake  my 

last  red  cent 
Thar  ain't  no  better  timber  in  the  whole 

blame  settlement  I 


An'  all  their  shiny  battle  ships  beside  that 

ship  are  tame, 
Fer  when   it  comes   to   "Dixie"   thar's 

something  in  a  name ! 

Here's  three  cheers  and  a  tiger — as  heartj 

as  kin  be  ; 
An'  let  the  ban'  play  "  Dixie  "  when  the 

"  Dixie  "  puts  ter  sea  ! 
She'll  make  her  way  an'  win  the  day  from 

shinin'  East  ter  West — 
Jest  let  the  ban'  play  "  Dixie,"  and  the 

boys  '11  do  the  rest! 

FRANK  L.  STANTON. 

FOR  FUTURE  REFERENCE. 

SAY,  Aguinaldo, 
You  little  measly 
Malay  moke, 

What's  the  matter  with  you? 
Don't  you  know  enough 
To  know 

That  when  you  don't  see 
Freedom, 
Inalienable  rights, 
The  American  Eagle, 
The  Fourth  of  July, 
The  Star  Spangled  Banner, 
And  the  Palladium  of  your  Liberties, 
All  you've  got  to  do  is  to  ask  for  them? 
Are  you  a  natural  born  chump 
Or  did  you  catch  it  from  the  Spaniards! 
You  ain't  bigger 
Than  a  piece  of  soap 
After  a  day's  washing, 
But,  by  gravy,  you 
Seem  to  think 
You're  a  bigger  man 
Than  Uncle  Sam. 
You  ought  to  be  shrunk 
Young  fellow ; 
And  if  you  don't 
Demalayize  yourself 
At  an  early  date, 
And  catch  on 

To  your  golden  glorious  opportunities. 
Something's  going  to  happen  to  you 
Like  a  Himalaya 
Sitting  down  kerswot 
On  a  gnat. 
If  you  ain't 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


385 


A  yellow  dog 

You'll  take  in  your  sign 

fVnd  scatter 

Some  Red,  White  and  Blue 

Disinfectant 

Over  yourself. 

What  you  need,  Aggie, 

Is  civilizing. 

And  goldarn 

Your  yaller  percoon-skin, 

We'll  civilize  you 

Dead  or  alive. 

You'd  better 

Fall  into  the 

Procession  of  Progress 

And  go  marching  on  to  glory, 

Before  you  fall 

Into  a  hole  in  the  ground. 

Understand  ? 

That's  us— 

U    S. 

ADMIRAL  VON  DIEDERICHS. 

ACH,  Admiral  von  Diederichs, 
I  van  to  sbeak  mit  you ; 
Yust  lisden  fer  a  leedle  und 

I'll  tell  you  vot  to  do ; 
Sail  from  dem  Philypeanuts  isles 

A  thousand  miles  aboud — 
Fer  dot  Dewey  man  vill  got  you 
Uf 


you 


doan'd 


vatch 

ouid  ! 

Ach,  Admiral  von  Diederichs, 

Der  Kaiser  was  a  peach, 
I'm  villing  to  atmit  id,  bud 

Dare's  udders  on  der  beach. 
So,  darefore,  dot's  der  reason  vy, 

Doan'd  led  your  head  get  stoud, 
Fer  dot  Dewey  man  vill  got  you 

Uf 


you 


doan'd 


vatch 

ouid! 

A.ch,  Admiral  von  Diederichs, 
Vot  pitzness  haf  you  got 
26-D 


In  loafing  py  Manila  ven 
Der  heat-vaves  are  so  hot  ? 

Vy  doan'd  you  yust  oxcoos  yourself 
Und  durn  your  shibs  aboud — 

Fer  dot  Dewey  man  vill  got  you 
Uf 


you 


doan'd 


vatch 


ouid! 


Ach,  Admiral  von  Diederichs, 
Vy  vill  you  be  a  clams  ? 

Go  ged  some  udder  islands  vich 
Are  not  old  Uncle  Sam's, 

Yust  wrote  to  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  yet, 
Und  dell  him  dare's  no  douid, 

Fer  dot  Dewey  man  vill  got  you 

you 

doan'd 

vatch 

ouid! 
G.  V.  HOBART. 

THE  ARMY'S  NIGHT-GUARD. 

THE  soldiers  lie  peacefully  dreaming, 
Their  tents  in  the  rays  of  the  clear 

Autumn  moon, 
Or   the   light  of  the   watch   fires  are 

gleaming, 

A  tremulous  sigh  as  the  gentle  night  wind 
Thro'  the  forest  leaves  slowly  is  creep- 
ing, 

While  the  stars  up  above  with  their  glit- 
tering eyes, 
Keep  guard,  for  the  army  is  sleeping. 

NO   ANIMOSITY. 

AID  the  Sergeant  to  the  Don, 

After  scrapping  at  San  Juan: — 
'  You're  a  soldier  and  a  brother, 
Let  us  shake  with  one  another; 
Here's  my  hardtack,  take  a  gnaw.' 

"  Said  the  Jacky  to  the  Dago 
Whom  he  licked  at  Santiago: — 
'  We  plunked  you  and  we  sunk  you, 
Now  we'll  feed  and  clothe  and  bunk 

you; 
Here's  my  baccy,  take  a  chaw.'  " 


386 


POETRY   OF  THE  WA&. 


THE  CAVALRY  CHARGE. 

WITH  bray  of  the  trumpet 
And  roll  of  the  drum, 
And  keen  ring  of  bugles, 

The  cavalry  come. 
Sharp  clank  the  steel  scabbards, 

The  bridle-chains  ring, 

And  foam  from  red  nostrils 

The  wild  chargers  fling. 

Tramp  !  tramp  !  o'er  the  green  sward 

That  quivers  below, 
Scarce  held  by  the  curb-bit, 

The  fierce  horses  go ! 
And  the  grim-visaged  colonel, 

With  ear-rending  shout, 
Peals  forth  to  the  squadrons, 

The  order — "  Trot  out." 

One  hand  on  the  sabre, 

And  one  on  the  rein, 
The  troopers  move  forward 

In  line  on  the  plain. 
As  rings  the  word  "  Gallop !  " 

The  steel  scabbards  clank, 
And  each  rowel  is  pressed 

To  a  horse's  hot  flank; 
And  swift  is  their  rush 

As  the  wild  torrent's  flow, 
When  it  pours  from  the  crag 

On  the  valley  below. 

"  Charge !  "  thunders  the  leader. 

Like  shaft  from  the  bow 
Each  mad  horse  is  hurled 

On  the  wavering  foe. 
A  thousand  bright  sabres 

Are  gleaming  in  air; 
A  thousand  dark  horses 

Are  dashed  on  the  square. 

Resistless  and  reckless 

Of  aught  may  betide, 
Like  demons,  not  mortals, ' 

The  wild  troopers  ride. 
Cut  right !  and  cut  left ! 

For  the  parry  who  needs  ? 
The  bayonets  shiver 

Like  wind -shattered  reeds ! 

Vain — vain  the  red  volley 
That  bursts  fr<?J»  the  sauare — 


The  random-shot  bullets 

Are  wasted  in  air. 
Triumphant,  remorseless, 

Unerring  as  death, — 
No  sabre  that's  stainless 

Returns  to  its  sheath. 

The  wounds  that  are  dealt 
By  that  murderous  steel 

Will  never  yield  case 

For  the  surgeons  to  heal. 

Hurrah !  they  are  broken- 
Hurrah  !  boys,  they  fly — 

None  linger  save  those 
Who  but  linger  to  die. 

Rein  up  your  hot  horses, 

And  call  in  your  men; 
The  trumpet  sounds  "Rally 

To  color  "  again. 
Some  saddles  are  empty, 

Some  comrades  are  slain, 
And  some  noble  horses 

Lie  stark  on  the  plain ; 
But  war's  a  chance  game,  boys, 

And  weeping  is  vain. 

THE  REGIMENT'S  RETURN. 

HE  is  coming,  he  is  coming,  my  true- 
love  comes  home  to-day ; 
All  the  city  throngs  to  meet  him  as  he 

lingers  by  the  way. 
He  is  coming  from  the  battle,  with  his 

knapsack  and  his  gun — 
He,  a  hundred  times  my  darling,  for  the 
dangers  he  hath  run. 

Twice  they  said  that  he  was  dead,  but  I 
would  not  believe  the  lie ; 

While  my  faithful  heart  kept  loving  him  I 
knew  he  could  not  die. 

All  in  white  will  I  array  me,  with  a  rose- 
bud in  my  hair, 

And  his  ring  upon  my  finger — he  shall 
see  it  shining  there. 

He  will  kiss  me,  he  will  kiss  me  with  the 

kiss  of  long  ago  ; 
He  will  fold  his  arms  around  me  close, 

and  I  shall  cry,  I  know. 
Oh  the  years  that  I  have  waited — rather 

lives  they  seemed  to  be— 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAS.. 


387 


For  the  dawning  of  the  happy  day  that 

brings  him  back  to  me. 
But  the  worthy  cause  has  triumphed.    Oh, 

joy  !  the  war  is  over. 
He  is  coming,  he  is  coming,  my  gallant 

soldier  lover. 

Men  are  shouting  all  around  me,  women 
weep  and  laugh  for  joy, 

Wives  behold  again  their  husbands,  and 
the  mother  clasps  her  boy  ; 

'^11  the  city  throbs  with  passion;  'tis  a 
day  of  jubilee ; 

But  the  happiness  of  thousands  brings  not 
happiness  to  me ; 

I  remember,  I  remember,  when  the  sold- 
iers went  away, 

There  was  one  among  the  noblest  who 
has  not  returned  to-day. 

Oh,  I  loved  him,  how  I  loved  him,  and  I 

never  can  forget 
That  he  kissed  me  as  we  parted,  for  the 

kiss  is  burning  yet ! 
'Tis  his  picture  in  my  bosom,  where  his 

head  will  never  lie; 
'Tis  his  ring  upon  my  finger — I  will  wear 

it  till  I  die. 
Oh,  his  comrades  say  that  dying  he  looked 

up  and  breathed  my  name ; 
They  have  come  to  those  that  loved  them, 

but  my  darling  never  came. 
Oh,  they  said  he  died  a  hero — but  I  knew 

how  that  would  be; 
And  they  say  the  cause  has  triumphed — 

will  that  bring  him  back  to  me  ? 
E.  J.  CUTLER. 

I  WANT  TO  GO  HOME. 

I  WANT  to  go  home  wailed  the  privit, 
The  sarg'ent  an'  corpril  the  same, 
Fer  I'm  sick  of  the  camp  an'  the  drillin' 

The  grub  an'  the  rest  of  the  game ; 
I'm  willin'  to  do  all  the  fightin' 

They'll  give  me  in  any  old  way, 
But  me  girl's  all  alone  an'  I  want  to  go 

home, 
An'  I  want  to  go  home  to-day. 

Fer  I've  marched  'till  me  throat  was  a 

crackin', 
'Till  crazed  fer  the  sake  of  a  drink; 


I've  drilled  'till  me  back  was  a  breakin', 
An'  I  haven't  had  gumption  to  think; 

An'  I've  done  my  whole  share  of  policin* 
An'  guard ;  an'  I'm  tired  of  me  lay, 

Fer  me  girl's  all  alone  an'  I  want  to  go 

home, 
An'  I  want  to  go  home  to-day. 

Do  they  need  us,  a  dyin'  in  camp  life  ? 

They  say  it's  the  water  and  such; 
We  think  it's  more  likely  we're  homesick, 

But  the  life  of  a  privit  ain't  much. 
An'  they  know  we  can  fight  if  we  have  to, 

An'   they  won't  have    to  show  us  the 

way, 

But  me  girl's  all  alone  an'  I  want  to  go 
home, 

An'  I  want  to  go  home  to-day. 

THE  FALLEN  HERO. 

HE  went  to  the  war  in  the  morning — 
The  roll  of  the  drums  could   be 
heard. 
But  he  paused  at  the  gate  with  his  mother 

For  a  kiss  and  a  comforting  word. 
He  was  full  of  the  dreams  and  ambitions 

That  youth  is  so  ready  to  weave, 
And  proud  of  the  clank  of  his  sabre 
And  the  chevrons  of  gold  on  his  sleeve. 

He  came  from  the  war  in  the  evening — 

The  meadows  were  sprinkled  with  snow, 
The  drums  and  the  bugles  were  silent, 

And  the  steps  of  the  soldier  were  slow. 
He  was  wrapped  in  the  flag  of  his  country 

When  they  laid  him  away  in  the  mould, 
With  the  glittering  stars  of  a  captain 

Replacing  the  chevrons  of  gold. 

With  the  heroes  who  slept  on  the  hillside 

He  lies  with  a  flag  at  his  head, 
But,  blind  with  the  years  of  her  weeping, 

His  mother  yet  mourns  for  her  dead. 
The  soldiers  who  fall  in  the  battle 

May  feel  but  a  moment  of  pain, 
But  the  women  who  wait  in  the  home- 
steads 

Must  dwell  with  the  ghosts  of  the  slain. 

MINNA  IRVING. 


388 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


THE  WOUNDED  SOLDIER. 

STEADY,    boys,  steady!     Keep   your 
arms  ready, 

God  only  knows  whom  we  may  meet  here. 
Don't  let  me  be  taken;  I'd  rather  awaken 
To-morrow,  in — no  matter  where, 
Than  to  lie  in  that  foul  prison -hole,  over 

there. 
Step  slowly!     Speak  lowly!     The  rocks 

may  have  life ! 
Lay  me  down  in  the  hollow;  we  are  out 

of  the  strife. 
By  heaven !  the  foeman  may  track  me  in 

blood, 
For  this  hole  in  my  breast  is  outpouring 

a  flood. 
No !     No  surgeon  for  me ;  he  can  give 

me  no  aid ; 
The  surgeon  I  want  is  a  pick-axe  and 

spade, 
What,  Morris,  a  tear?     Why,  shame  on 

you,  man ! 

I  thought  you  a  hero ;  but  since  you  began 
To  whimper  and  cry,  like  a  girl  in  her 

teens, 
By  George !  I  don't  know  what  the  devil 

it  means. 

Well !  well !  I  am  rough,  'tis  a  very  rough 
school, 

This  life  of  a  trooper — but  yet  I'm  no  fool ! 

I  know  a  brave  man,  and  a  friend  from  a 
foe; 

And,  boys,  that  you  love  me  I  certainly 
know, 

But  wasn't  it  grand, 

When   they   carne   down    the   hill   over 
sloughing  and  sand  ? 

But  we  stood — did  we  not  ? — like  immov- 
able rock, 

Unheeding  their  balls  and  repelling  their 
shock. 

Did  you  mind  the  loud  cry,  when,  as  turn- 
ing to  fly, 

Our  men  sprang  upon  them,  determined 
to  die  ? 

Oh,  wasn't  it  grand? 

God  help  the  poor  wretches  who  fell  in 
the  fight; 

No  time  was  there  given  for  prayers  or 
for  flight. 


They  fell  by  the  score,  in  the  crash,  hand 

to  hand. 
And  they  mingled  their  blood  with  the 

sloughing  and  sand. 

Great  heavens !    This  bullet-hole  gaps  like 

a  grave; 
A  curse  on  the  aim  of  the  treacherous 

knave ! 
Is  there  never  a  one  of  you  knows  how  to 

pray, 
Or  speak  for  a  man  as  his  life  ebbs  away? 

Pray !     Pray ! 
Our   Father!     Our  Father! — why  don't 

you  proceed  ? 
Can't  you  see  I  am  dying?     Great  God, 

how  I  bleed ! 
Our  Father  in  heaven — boys,  tell  me  the 

rest, 
While  I  stanch  the  hot  blood  from  the 

hole  in  my  breast. 
There's  something  about  the  forgiveness 

of  sin; 

Put  that  in!  put  that  in! — and  then 
I'll  follow  your  words  and  say  an  "Amen." 

Here,  Morris,  old  fellow,  get  hold  of  my 

hand, 
And  Wilson,  my  comrade — oh  !  wasn't  it 

grand 
When    they  came   down  the  hill   like  a 

thunder-charged  cloud, 
And  were  scattered  like  mist  by  our  brave 

little  crowd? — 
Where's   Wilson,    my   comrade?     Here 

stoop  down  your  head, 
Can't  you  say  a  short  prayer  for  the  dying 

and  dead  ? 

"  Christ-God,  who  died  for  sinners  all, 
Hear  Thou  this  suppliant  wanderer's 

cry; 

Let  not  e'en  this  poor  sparrow  fall 
Unheeded  by  Thy  gracious  eye  ; 
Throw  wide  Thy  gates  to  let  him  in, 
And  take  him,  pleading,  to  Thine 

arms; 

Forgive,  O  Lord,  his  lifelong  sin, 
And  quiet  all  his  fierce  alarms," 

God  bless  you,  my  comracL,  for  singing 
that  hymn, 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


It  is  light  to  my  path,  now  my  sight  has 
grown  dim. 

I  am  dying  !  Bend  down,  till  I  touch 
you  once  more ; 

Don't  forget  me,  old  fellow — God  pros- 
per this  war  ! 

Confusion  to  enemies  ! — keep  hold  of  my 
hand — 

And  float  our  dear  flag  o'er  a  prosperous 
land!  J.  W.  WATSON. 

THE  CAPTAIN'S  WIFE. 

WE  gathered  roses,  Blanche  and  I,  for 
little  Madge  one  morning; 
"  Like  every  soldier's  wife,"  said  Blanche, 

"I  dread  a  soldier's  fate." 
Her  voice  a  little  trembled  then,  as  under 

some  forewarning 

A  soldier  galloped  up  the  lane,  and  halted 
at  the  gate. 

"Which  house  is  Malcolm  Blake's?"  he 
cried;  "a.  letter  for  his  sister!" 

And  when  I  thanked  him,  Blanche  in- 
quired, "But  none  for  me,  his  wife?" 

The  soldier  played  with  Madge's  curls, 
and  stooping  over,  kissed  her: 

"Your  father  was  my  captain,  child  ! — I 
loved  him  as  my  life!" 

Then  suddenly  he  galloped  off  and  left 

the  rest  unspoken. 
I  burst  the  seal,  and  Blanche  exclaimed, 

"What  makes  you  tremble  so?" 
What  answer  did  I  dare  to  speak?     How 

ought  the  news  be  broken? 
I  could  not  shield  her  from  the  stroke, 

yet  tried  to  ease  the  blow. 

"A  battle  in  the  swamps,"  I  said;  "our 

men  were  brave,  but  lost  it." 
And  pausing  there, — "The  note,"  I  said, 

"is  not  in  Malcolm's  hand." 
At  first  a  flush  flamed  through  her  face, 

and  then  a  shadow  crossed  it. 
"Read  quick,  dear  May ! — read  all,  I  pray 

— and  let  me  understand!" 

I  did  not  read  it  as  it  stood, — but  tem- 
pered so  the  phrases 

As  not  at  first  to  hint  the  worst,---held 
back  the  fatal  word, 


And  half  retold  his  gallant  charge,  his 
shout,  his  comrades'  praises — 

Till  like  a  statue  carved  in  stone,  she 
neither  spoke  nor  stirred ! 

Oh,  never  yet  a  woman's  heart  was  frozen 

so  completely ! 
So   unbaptized   with  helping  tears! — so 

passionless  and  dumb ! 
Spellbound  she  stood,  and  motionless, — 

till  little  Madge  spoke  sweetly : 
"Dear  mother,  is  the  battle  done?  and 

will  my  father  come?" 

I  laid  my  finger  on  her  lips,  and  set  the 

child  to  playing. 
Poor  Blanche!  the  winter  in   her  cheek 

was  snowy  like  her  name ! 
What  could  she  do  but  kneel  and  pray, — 

and  linger  at  her  praying? 
O  Christ!  when  other  heroes  die,  moan 

other  wives  the  same? 

Must  other  women's  hearts  yet  break,  to 

keep  the  Cause  from  failing? 
God  pity  our  brave  lovers  then,  who  face 

the  battle's  blaze! 
And  pity  wives  in  widowhood ! — But  it  is 

unavailing ! 
O  Lord!  give  Freedom  first,  then  Peace! 

— and  unto  Thee  be  praise ! 

TO  ADMIRAL  SCHLEY. 

HAIL!    Hero  of  our  Southern  battle 
seas! 
No  wreath  of  crumbling  laurel  leaves 

thy  brow  entwines ; 
America  would  mete  thee  more  enduring 

fame, 

And  in  her  hearx  thy  name  and  deed 
enshrines. 

THE  SOLDIER'S  FAREWELL. 

HE  was  ready  to  start  for  the  scenes  of 
strife, 

Yet  he  shed  never  a  tear 
As  he  said  "good-bye  "  to  his  loving  wife. 

And  kissed  his  children  dear. 
But  he  paused  to  get  one  parting  peep 

In  the  shed  where  his  wheel  was  kept 
When  he  just  collapsed  in  a  sorry  heap 
And  wept  and  wept  and  wept. 


390 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


SOMEBODY'S  DARLING. 

INTO  a  ward  of  the  whitewashed  halls, 
Where  the  dead  and  dying  lay, 
Wounded  by  bayonets,  shells,  and  balls, 
Somebody's    Darling   was   borne   one 

day — 
Somebody's   Darling,  so   young  and  so 

brave, 

Wearing  yet  on  his  pale,  sweet  face, 
Soon  to  be  hid  by  the  dust  of  the  grave, 
The  lingering  light  of  his  boyhood's 
grace. 

Matted  and  damp  are  the  curls  of  gold, 

Kissing  the  snow  of  the  fair  young  brow 
Pale  are  the  lips  of  delicate  mould — 

Somebody's  Darling  is  dying  now. 
Back  from  his  beautiful  blue-veined  brow, 

Brush  all  the  wandering  waves  of  gold : 
Cross  his  hands  on  his  bosom  now — 

Somebody's  Darling  is  still  and  cold. 

Kiss  him  once  for  somebody's  sake, 

Murmur  a  prayer  both  soft  and  low ; 
One  bright  curl  from  its  fair  mates  take — 

They  were  somebody's  pride  you  know; 
Somebody's  hand  hath  rested  there — 

Was  it  a  mother's,  soft  and  white? 
And  have  the  lips  of  a  sister  fair 

Been  baptized  in  the  waves  of  light  ? 

God  knows  best !  he  has  somebody's  love  : 

Somebody's  heart  enshrined  him  there; 
Somebody  wafted  his  name  above, 

Night  and  morn,  on  the  wings  of  prayer. 
Somebody  wept  when  he  marched  away, 

Looking  so  handsome,  brave,  and  grand ; 
Somebody's  kiss  on  his  forehead  lay, 

Somebody  clung  to  his  parting  hand. 

Somebody's   waiting    and   watching   for 

him — 
Yearning   to  hold   him   again  to   her 

heart ; 
And  there  he  lies  with  his  blue  eyes  dim, 

And  the  smiling  child-like  lips  apart. 
Tenderly  bury  the  fair  young  dead, 

Pausing  to  drop  on  his  grave  a  tear 
Carve  in  the  wooden  slab  at  his  head, 
«'  Somebody's    Darling    lies    sleeping 
here," 


THE  COMMON  SOLDIER. 

NOBODY  cared,  when  he  went  to  war, 
But  the  woman  who  cried  on  his 

shoulder ; 

Nobody  decked  him  with  immortelles ; 
He  was  only  a  common  soldier. 

Nobody  packed  in  a  dainty  trunk 
Folded  raiment  and  officer's  fare; 

A  knapsack  held  all  the  new  recruit 
Might  own,  or  love,  or  eat,  or  wear. 

Nobody  gave  him  a  good -by  fete, 

With  sparkling  jest  and  flower-crowned 
wine ; 

Two  or  three  friends  on  the  sidewalk  stood 
Watching  for  Jones,  the  fourth  in  line. 

Nobody  cared  how  the  battle  went 

With  the  man  who  fought  till  the  bul- 
let sped 
Through  the  coat  undecked  with  leaf  or 

star 
On  a  common  soldier  left  for  dead. 

The  cool  rain  bathed  the  fevered  wound, 
And  the  kind  clouds  wept  the  livelong 

night : 
A  pitying  lotion  Nature  gave, 

Till   help   might  come  with   morning 

light- 
Such   help  as   the  knife  of  the  surgeon 

gives, 

Cleaving  the  gallant  arm  from  shoulder ; 
And  another  name  swells  the  pension-list 
For  the  meagre  pay  of  a  common  soldier. 

See,  over  yonder  all  day  he  stands — 
An  empty  sleeve  in  the  soft  wind  sways, 

As  he  holds  his  lonely  left  hand  out 
For  charity  at  the  crossing  ways. 

And  this  is  how,  with  bitter  shame, 
He  begs  his  bread  and  hardly  lives; 

So  wearily  ekes  out  the  sum 

A  proud  and  grateful  country  gives. 

What  matter  how  he  served  the  guns 
When  plume  and  sash  were  over  yonder  ? 

What  matter  though  he  bore  the  flag 
Through   blinding   smoke  and   battle 
thunder  ? 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


391 


WOMAN  ON  THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE, 

WHERE  hath  not  woman  stood, 
Strong  in  affection's  might  ? 
A  reed,  upborne 
By  an  o'ermaturing  current  ! 


ENTLE  and  lovely  form, 
V_J     What  didst  thou  here, 
When  the  fierce  battle  storm 
Bore  down  the  spear  ? 

Banner  and  shivered  crest 

Beside  thee  strown, 
Tell  that  amidst  the  best 

Thy  work  was  done  ! 

Low  lies  the  stately  head, 
Earth  bound  the  free  : 

How  gave  those  haughty  dead 
A  place  to  thee  ? 

Slumberer  !  thine  early  bier 
Friends  should  have  crowned, 

Many  a  flower  and  tear 
Shedding  around. 

Soft  voices,  dear  and  young, 

Mingling  their  swell, 
Should  o'er  thy  dust  have  sung 

Earth's  last  farewell. 

Sisters,  above  the  grave 

Of  thy  repose, 
Should  have  bid  violets  wave 

With  the  white  rose. 

Now  must  the  trumpet's  note 

Savage  and  shrill, 
For  requiem  o'er  thee  float, 

Thou  fair  and  still  ! 

And  the  swift  charger  sweep, 

In  full  career, 
Trampling  thy  place  of  sleep  — 

Why  earnest  thou  here  ? 

Why  ?  —  Ask  the  true  heart  why 

Woman  hath  been 
Ever,  where  brave  men  die, 

Unshrinking  seen  ? 

Unto  this  harvest  ground 

Proud  reapers  came, 
Some  for  that  stirring  sound, 

A.  warrior'  name  .; 


Some  for  the  stormy  play, 

And  joy  of  strife, 
And  some  to  fling  away 

A  weary  life. 

But  thou,  pale  sleeper,  thou, 
With  the  slight  frame, 

And  the  rich  locks,  whose  glow 
Death  cannot  tame ; 

Only  one  thought,  one  power, 

Thee  could  have  led, 
So  through  the  tempest's  hour 

To  lift  thy  head  ! 

Only  the  true,  the  strong 

The  love,  whose  trust 
Woman's  deep  soul  too  long 

Pours  on  the  dust. 


OUR  GALLANT  SONS. 

MY  gallant  love  goes  out  to-day, 
With  drums  and  bugles  sounding 

gay; 

I  smile  to  cheer  him  on  his  way — 
Smile  back,  my  heart,  to  me  ! 

The  flags  are  glittering  in  the  light ; 

Is  it  their  stars  that  blind  my  sight  ? 

God,  hold  my  tears  until  to-night — 
Then  set  their  fountains  free ! 

He  takes  with  him  the  light  of  May; 

Alas  !  it  seems  but  yesterday 

He  was  a  bright-haired  child  at  play. 

W  ith  eyes  that  knew  no  fear ; 
Blue  eyes — true  eyes  !     I  see  them  shine 
Far  down,  along  the  waving  line — 
Now  meet  them  bravely,  eyes  of  mine  ! 

Good  cheer,  my  love,  good  cheer ! 

Oh,  mother  hearts,  that  dare  not  break ! 
That  feel  the  stress,  the  long,  long  ache, 
The  tears  that  burn,  the  eyes  that  wake, 

For  these  our  cherished  ones — 
And  ye — true  hearts — not  called  to  bear 
Such  pain  and  peril,  for  your  share — 
Oh,  lift  with  me  the  pleading  prayer, 

God  save  our  gallant  sons  ! 

MARION  COUTHOUY 


392 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


BACK  FROM  THE  WAR. 

THE  spring  day  was  all  of  a  flutter  with 
flags; 
The  mad  chimes  were  beating  like  surf 

in  the  air ; 

The  beggars  had  slunk  out  of  sight  with 
1  their  rags ; 

And  the  balconies  teemed  with  the  rich 
and  the  fair. 

And  below,  on  each  side,  the  long  vistas 

were  set, 
In  the  framework  of  faces,  patient  and 

white — • 
Wives,   mothers,    sweethearts,    with    full 

eyes  wet, 
And  sick  hearts  longing  to  see  the  sight. 

Till   at   length,   when    the   evening  was 

waning,  there  ran 
A  stir  through  the  crowd,  and  far-off, 

like  a  flame, 
The  setting  sun  burned  on  the  heims  of 

the  van, 

And  with  trampling  of  hoofs  the  proud 
conquerers  came. 

And  with  every  step  they  advanced,  you 

might  hear 
Women's  voices  half  maddened  with 

long-deferred  joy ; 
"  Thank  God  !  he  is  safe.     See,  my  love, 

we  are  here, 

See  1   here  am  I,  darling ;  and  this  is 
our  boy  ! ' ' 

Or,   "  Here  am   I,  dearest,  still  faithful 

and  true ; 
Your  own  love  as  of  old !  "     Or  an 

agonized  cry, 
As  the  loved  face  comes  not  with   the 

comrades  she  knew, 
And  the  rough  soldiers  find  not  a  word 
to  reply. 

And  pitiful  hands  lead  her  softly  away, 
With  a  loving  heart  rent  and  broken  in 

twain ; 

And  the  triumph  sweeps  onward,  in  gal- 
lant array — 

The  life  and  the  hope,  the  despair  and 
the  pain. 


And  the  long  line  sweeps  past,  and  the 

dull  world  rolls  on, 
Though  the  rapture  is  dead  and  the  sad 

tears  are  dry ; 
And  careless  of  all,  till  the  progress  be 

done, 

Life  rides  like  a  conqueror  triumphing 
by. 

LEWIS  MORRIS. 


REVEILLE. 

THE    morning    is   cheery,  my    boys, 
arouse ! 
The  dew  shines  bright  on  the  chestnut 

boughs, 

And  the  sleepy  mist  on  the  river  lies, 
Though  the  east  is  flushing  with  crimson 

dyes. 

Awake!  awake!  awake! 
O'er  field  and  wood  and  brake, 
With  glories  newly  born, 
Comes  on  the  blushing  morn. 
Awake!  awake! 

You  have  dreamed  of  your  homes  and 

your  friends  all  night ; 
You   have   basked   in   your  sweethearts' 

smiles  so  bright : 
Come,  part   with   them  all  for  a  while 

again — 
Be  lovers  in  dreams;   when  awake,   be 

men. 
Turn  out !  turn  out !  turn  out ! 

You  have  dreamed  full  long  I  know, 
Turn  out !  turn  out  /  turn  out ! 
The  east  is  all  aglow. 
Turn  out  /  turn  out  f 

From  every  valley  and  hill  there  come 
The  clamoring  voices  of  fife  and  drum  j 
And  out  on  the  fresh,  cool  morning  ail 
The  soldiers  are  swarming  everywhere. 
Fall  in  !  fall  in  !  fall  in  ! 
Every  man  in  his  place. 
Fall  in  !  fall  in  !  fall  in  ! 
Each  with  a  cheerful  face. 
Fall  in  !  fall  in  ! 

MICHAEL  O'CONNOR 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


393 


THE  SOLDIER'S  CRADLE-HYMN. 

FROM  a  field  of  death  and  carnage 
To  the  hospital  was  borne, 
One  May  morn  a  youthful  soldier, 
With  a  face  all  white  and  worn. 

Bay  by  day  he  pined  and  wasted, 

And  'twas  pitiful  to  hear 
Through  the  dreary  long  night-watches, 

That  sad  call  of  "  Mother,  dear." 

Weary  sufferers,  moaning,  tossing, 

Turned  their  sad  eyes  towards  his  cot ; 

But  that  cry  was  still  incessant, 
The  young  soldier  heeded  not. 

It  was  night ;   the  lights  burned  dimly ; 

O'r  the  couch  his  mother  bent 
Lovingly  ;  with  soft  caresses 

Through  his  hair  her  fingers  went 

But  he  tossed  in  wild  delirium, 
From  his  pale  lips  still  the  cry, 

With  that  same  sad,  plaintive  moaning, 
' '  Mother — come  —  before — I — die. ' ' 

Then  in  song  her  voice  rose  sweetly, 
On  her  breast  she  laid  his  head, 

"  Husky  my  dear,  lie  still  and  slumber, 
Holy  angels  guard  thy  bed," 

While  she  sang  his  moans  grew  fainter, 
And  she  watched  the  white  lids  creep 

O'er  his  eyes,  till  calm  and  peaceful 
In  her  arms  he  lay  asleep. 

Dimmer  burned  the  lights,  and  silence 
Reigned  within  the  white- washed  walls ; 

Bearded  cheeks  were  wet  with  tear-stains, 
All  forgot  were  cannon  balls. 

Far-off  scenes  rose  up  to  memory, 
Tender  thoughts — repelled  so  long — 

Crept  into  the  hearts  of  soldiers, 
With  that  soothing  cradle-song. 

Morning  dawned  ;  but  in  the  night-time 
One  tired  soul  had  upward  sped — 

"Hush,  my  dear,  lie  still  and  slumber, 
Holy  angels  guard  thy  bed" 

MARY  McGuiRE, 


THE  YOUNG  AMERICAN. 

SCION  of  a  mighty  stock  ! 
Hands  of  ircn — hearts  of  oak- 
Follow  with  unflinching  tread 
Where  the  noble  fathers  led. 

Craft  and  subtle  treachery, 
Gallant  youth !   are  not  for  thee  ; 
Follow  thou  in  word  and  deeds 
Where  the  God  within  thee  leads  ! 

Honesty  with  steady  eye, 
Truth  and  pure  simplicity, 
Love  that  gently  winneth  hearts — 
These  shall  be  thy  only  arts : 

Prudent  in  the  council  train, 
Dauntless  on  the  battle-plain; 
Ready  at  the  country's  need 
For  her  glorious  cause  to  bleed  ! 

Where  the  dews  of  night  distil 
Upon  Vernon's  holy  hill; 
Where  above  it,  gleaming  far, 
Freedom  lights  her  guiding  star : 

Thither  turn  the  steady  eye, 
Flashing  with  a  purpose  high; 
Thither,  with  devotion  meet, 
Often  turn  the  pilgrim  feet ! 

Let  the  noble  motto  be, 
God — the  country — liberty  ! 
Planted  on  religion's  rock, 
Thou  shalt  stand  in  every  shock. 

Laugh  at  danger  far  or  near ! 
Spurn  at  baseness — spurn  at  fear ! 
Still,  with  persevering  might, 
Speak  the  truth  and  do  the  right. 

So  shall  peace,  a  charming  guest, 
Dove-like  in  thy  bosom  rest; 
So  shall  honor's  steady  blaze 
Beam  upon  thy  closing  days. 

Happy  if  celestial  favor 
Smile  upon  the  high  endeavor; 
Happy  if  it  be  thy  call 
In  the  holy  cause  to  fall. 

ALEXANDER  HILL  EVERETT, 


394 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


WHAT  COMES  AFTER. 

EMBLAZONED  immortal  on  history's 
pages 
The  names  of  our  heroes  on  land  and 

on  sea, 
A  monument  that  will  outlast  countless 

ages, 

Roll  call  of  the  glorious  sons  of  the  free ; 
Our  diplomat  leader  in  far  off  Manila, 
Adored  of  a  people — in  praise  just  and 

true ; 
The  great  flagship  Brooklyn's  cool,  gallant 

commandant, 
All  honor  to  him,  to  whom  honor  is  due. 

Our  general,  too,  from  whose  brow  wreath'd 

in  laurels, 
Petty  jealousy  fain  would  have  snatched 

the  fair  crown ; 
And  the  boys  of  the  army  and  boys  of 

the  navy — 
By  disease  and  the  guns  of  the  Spaniards 

mowed  down — 

Underfed  and  uncared  for,  yet  still  un- 
complaining. 
Tho'  enlisted  to  warfare — not  hunger — 

they  came ; 
Oh !  shame  to  the  black  heart,  by  whom 

they  are  dying, 

Whose  neglect  is  a  blot  on  the  nation's 
fair  name. 


Forgetful   of   self — at   the   engines,  hell 

tempered, 
Overpowered    but   staggering   still   to 

their  post ; 
The  guns  knew  of  heroes,  unhonored  in 

story, 
With  naught  to  gain,  albeit  risking  the 

most. 
But  with  God  rank  is  leveled,  on  man  and 

commander, 
Who  e'er  combat  ended  had  stemmed 

the  dark  flood, 

The  voice  of  the  Father  fell,  sweet,  re- 
assuring, 

<f  Enter  into  my  rest,  ye  have  done 
what  ye  could." 

LILIAN  H.  DU  Bois, 


DIRGE  OF  THE  DRUMS. 

DEAD!  Dead!  Dead,  dead,  dead! 
To  the  solemn  beat  of  the  last  retreat 
That  falls  like  lead, 
Bear  the  hero  now  to  his  honored  rest 
With  the  badge  of  courage  upon  his  breast, 
While  the  sun  sinks  down  in  the  gleaming 

West— 
Dead!  Dead!  Dead! 

Dead !  Dead !  Mourn  the  dead  ? 
While  the  mournful  notes  of  the  bugles 
float 

Across  his  bed, 

And  the  guns  shall  toll  on  the  vibrant  air 
The  knell  of  the  victor  lying  there — 
'Tis  a  fitting  sound  for  a  soldier's  prayer — 

Dead!  Dead!  Dead! 

Dead !  Dead !  Dead,  dead,  dead ! 
To  the  muffled  beat  of  the  lone  retreat 

And  speeding  lead, 

Lay  the  hero  low  to  his  well-earned  rest, 
In  the  land  he  loved,  on  her  mother  breast, 
While  the  sunlight  dies  in  the  darkening 

West- 
Dead!  Dead!  Dead! 

RALPH  ALTON. 

TAPS. 

TAPS— for  the  day  is  finished, 
And  the  moon,  in  her  silvery  light, 
Whips  up  from  the  low  horizon 
To  the  star-flecked  clouds  of  night. 

Taps — and  the  day's  hard  duty 
Is  o'er,  and  the  time  for  rest 

Sounds  forth  in  its  pointed  cadence, 
And  the  blowing  bugler's  blest. 

Taps— their  duty  is  ended. 

The  dead  lie  side  by  side. 
"Lights  out"  the  bugler's  sounding 

As  they  start  on  their  long  last  ride. 

Such  is  their  journey  homeward — 
To  "taps"  o'er  the  broken  sod, 

To  wake  on  the  morn  with  souls  new  born, 
At  the  "reveille"  of  God. 

HSNRY  EPWARD  WALLACE,  JR, 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


395 


THE  MAN  WITH  THE  MUSKET. 

SOLDIERS,  pass  on  from  this  rage  of 
renown, 

This  ant-hill,  commotion  and  strife, 
Pass  by  where  the  marbles  and  bronzes 

look  down 

With  their  fast-frozen  gestures  of  life, 
On,  out  to  the  nameless  who  lie  'neath  the 

gloom 

Of  the  pitying  cypress  and  pine ; 
Your  man  is  the  man  of  the  sword  and 

the  plume, 
But  the  man  of  the  musket  is  mine. 

I  knew  him !  By  all  that  is  noble,  I  knew 

This  commonplace  hero  I  name  ! 
I've  camped  with  him,  marched  with  him, 

fought  with  him,  too, 
In  the  swirl  of  the  fierce  battle-flame ! 
Laughed  with  him,  cried  with  him,  taken 

a  part 

Of  his  canteen  and  blanket,  and  known 
That  the  throb  of  his  chivalrous  prairie 

boy's  heart 
Was  an  answering  stroke  of  my  own. 

I  knew  him,  I  tell  you!  And,  also,  I  knew 

When  he  fell  on  the  battle-swept  ridge, 
That  poor -battered  body  that  lay  there  in 
blue 

Was  only  a  plank  in  the  bridge 
Over  which  some  should  pass  to  a  fame 

That  shall  shine  while  the  high  stars 

shall  shine  ! 
Your  hero  is  known  by  an  echoing  name, 

But  the  man  with  the  musket  is  mine. 

I  knew  him  !     All  through  him  the  geod 

and  the  bad 

Ran  together  and  equally  free  ; 
But  I  judge  as  I  trust  Christ  will  judge  the 

brave  lad, 
For  death  made  him  noble  to  me ! 

In  the  cyclone   of  war,  in   the   battle's 

eclipse 

Life  shook  off  its  lingering  sands, 
And  he  died  with  the  names  that  he  loved 

on  his  lips, 

His  musket  still  grasped  in  his  hands  ! 
Up  close  to  the  flag  my  soldier  went  down, 
4$  the  salient  front  of  the  line  j 


You  may  take  for  your  heroes  the  men  of 

renown, 

But  the  man  of  the  musket  is  mine. 
H.  S.  TAYLOR. 

IT  IS  GREAT  FOR  OUR  COUNTRY 
TO  DIE. 

OH  1  it  is  great  for  our  country  to  die, 
where  ranks  are  contending : 
Bright  is  the  wreath  of  our  fame;  glory 

awaits  us  for  aye — 
Glory,  that  never  is  dim,  shining  on  with 

light  never  ending — 
Glory  that  never  shall  fade,  never,  oh ! 
never  away. 

Oh !  it  is  sweet  for  our  country  to  die ! 

How  softly  reposes 
Warrior  youth  on  his  bier,  wet  by  the 

tears  of  his  love, 
Wet  by  a  mother's  warm  tears;  they  crown 

him  with  garlands  of  roses, 
Weep,  and  then  joyously  turn,  bright 
where  he  triumphs  above. 

Not  to  the  shades  shall  the  youth  descend, 

who  for  country  hath  perished ; 
Hebe  awaits  him  in  heaven,  welcomes 

him  there  with  her  smile; 
There,  at  the  banquet  divine,  the  patriot 

spirit  is  cherished; 

Gods  love  the  young  who  ascend  pure 
from  the  funeral  pile. 

Not  to  Elysian  fields,  by  the  still,  oblivious 

river; 
Not  to  the  isles  of  the  blest,  over  the 

blue,  rolling  sea; 
But  on  Olympian  heights  shall  dwell  the 

devoted  forever; 

There  shall  assemble  the  good,  there 
the  wise,  valiant  and  free. 

Oh!  then,  how  great  for  our  country  to 

die,  in  the  front  rank  to  perish, 
Firm  with  our  breast  to  the  foe,  victory's 

shout  in  our  ear ! 
Long  they  our  statutes  shall  crown,  in 

songs  our  memory  cherish ; 
We  shall  look  forth  from  our  heaven, 
pleased  the  sweet  music  to  hear. 


396 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


AT  CLOSE  QUARTERS. 

SHE  wore  a  dress  of  navy  blue, 
The  collar  white  and  blue  and  red; 
A  striped  belt — and  stockings,  too ; 

A  sailor  hat  was  on  her  head. 
Red,  white  and  blue  her  chatelaine ; 

She  had  a  flag  beneath  her  chin. 
She  wore  a  badge—"  U.  S.  S.  Maine," 
A  tiny  cannon  for  a  pin. 

She  wore  a  shell-comb  in  her  hair, 

With  army  buttons  all  embossed ; 
Some  swords  were  also  sticking  there, 

And  at  her  belt  small  rifles  crossed. 
Her  pocket-book  was  knapsack  shape, 

Her  smelling  bottle  a  wee  canteen 
Containing  essence  of  "  Crushed  G rape  " — 

The  neatest  thing  I'd  ever  seen. 

Her  face  was  patriotic,  too, 

And  full  of  everlasting  charms ; 
Her  cheeks  were  red,  teeth  white,  eyes  blue; 

She  also  had  repeating  arms. 
In  fact,  she  was  in  "fighting  trim," 

So  an  "  engagement  "  I  did  seek ; 
And  though  my  chance  to  win  was  slim, 

I  cruised  around  about  her  cheek. 

Puff !     Suddenly  she  fired  at  me 

A  perfect  fusilade  of  smiles  ! 
It  shook  my  heart  "  windward  "  to  "lee," 

Re-echoing  for  miles  and  miles  ! 
My  rapid-firing  lips  I  turned 

Upon  her  then  (for  they  were  loaded), 
But  when  the  fast-sent  kisses  burned, 

The  powder  on  her  face  exploded  ! 

SONG  FOR  OUR  FLEETS. 

A  SONG  for  our  fleets— our  iron  fleets, 
Of  grim  and  savage  beauty, 
That  plow  their  way  through  fields  of  spray 

To  follow  a  nation's  duty ! 
The  winds  may  blow  and  the  waves  may 

flow 

And  stars  may  hide  their  faces, 
But  little  we  reck,  our  stars  o'er  deck 
Still  glitter  within  their  places. 

Let  never  a  one  who  gazes  on 
This  pageant,  calm  and  splendid, 

Doubt  that  our  coasts  from  hostile  hosts 
Will  gallantly  be  defended  I 


A  desperate  foe  may  wish  us  woe, 
But  what  is  their  petty  knavery 

Against  the  right,  when  backed  by  might 
And  Anglo-Saxon  bravery? 

A  song  for  our  fleets — our  gallant  fleets, 

'Neath  flags  of  glory  flying, 
That  carry  the  aid,  so  long  delayed, 

To  those  that  are  crushed  and  dying  \ 
And  flames  may  glow,  and  blood  may  flow, 

But  still,  with  a  stern  endeavor, 
We'll  rule  the  main,  and  lash  foul  Spain 

From  our  western  world  forever ! 

WILL  CARLETON. 


"  PRIVATE  JONES." 

I  USED  to  boss  him  in  the  store 
And  oversee  his  work, 
For  I  had  charge  of  one  whole  floor 

And  he  was  just  a  clerk. 
To-day  it's  different,  if  you  please; 

We've  changed  respective  pegs, 
I'm  private  in  the  ranks — and  he's 
Got  stripes 
Down 
His 
Legs. 

The  girls,  whose  smiles  were  once  for  me, 

Now  scarce  vouchsafe  a  glance, 
Such  great  attraction  can  they  see 

In  decorated  pants. 
The  erstwhile  clerk  no  longer  my 

Indulgence  humble  begs. 
I'm  down  below.     He's  up  on  high, 
With  stripes 
Down 
His 
Legs. 

It's  "  Private  Jones,  do  this  and  that." 

In  haste  I  must  bestir — 
To  Jenkins,  on  whom  oft  I've  sat, 

I'm  told  to  answer  "  sir  !  " 
One  born  to  rule,  it's  come  to  pass 

Of  woe  I  drink  the  dregs — 
I'm  in  the  army,  with,  alas  ! 
No  stripes 
Down 
My 
Legs.  EDWIN  L.  SABIN. 


fOfiTRY  OF  tHfi  WAk. 


§97 


HER  PAPA. 

MY  papa's  all  dressed  up  to-day ; 
He  never  looked  so  fine ; 
I  thought  when  first  I  looked  at  him, 
My  papa  wasn'  t  mine. 

He's  got  a  beautiful  new  suit — 
The  old  one  was  so  old — 

It's  blue,  with  buttons,  oh,  so  bright 
I  guess  they  must  be  gold. 

And  papa's  sort  o'  glad  and  sort 

O'  sad — I  wonder  why; 
And  ev'ry  time  she  looks  at  him 

It  makes  my  mamma  cry. 

Who's  Uncle  Sam?     My  papa  says 

That  he  belongs  to  him ; 
But  papa's  joking,  'cause  he  knows 

My  uncle's  name  is  Jim. 

My  papa  just  belongs  to  me 
And  mamma.     And  I  guess 

The  folks  are  blind  who  cannot  see 
His  buttons  marked  U.  S. 

U.  S.  Spells  us.     He's  ours — and  yet 
My  mamma  can't  help  cry. 

And  papa  tries  to  smile  at  me 
And  can't — I  wonder  why? 


AT  THE  FRONT. 

NOT  the  soldiers  only  are  at  the  front 
to-day, 
Not  alone  the  boys  in  blue  who  face  the 

stubborn  foe, 
In  the  tent  and  in  the  charge,  and  on  the 

weary  way, 

There  are  unseen  sentinels  who  watch 
with  eyes  aglow. 

Mothers  who  have  sent  their  sons  to  battle 

for  the  right, 

Wives  and  sweethearts  all   day  long, 
whose  throbbing  hearts  are  there, 
A  boat  of  loyal  loving  ones  who  help  the 

gallaut  fight 

Are  beating  at  the  throne  of  God  with 
never-ceasing  prayer. 


These  may  not  thread   the  jungle,  nor 

storm  the  frowning  hill, 
They  stand  not  in  the  rifle  pit,  they 

man  no  sullen  gun  ; 
But   they  are  with  the  army,  and  with 

strength  their  pulses  thrill, 
And    theirs  will   be  the  victor's 

when  once  the  strife  is  done. 

I 

Standing  for  the  old  flag,  standing  firm 

for  God, 
Standing  for  humanity,  they  meet  the 

battle's  brunt, 
These  women  who,  for  heartache,  scarce 

can  see  the  path  they've  trod, 
Since  they  kissed  the  lads  they  loved  so 
dear,  and  sent  them  to  the  front. 
MARGARET  E.  SANGSTER. 

PITY  FOR  THE  SLAIN. 

WE  have  wreathed  all  our  heroes  on 
land  and  on  sea, 
And  have  lauded  their  valor  from  "A" 

unto  "Z," 
Let  us  turn  from  the  flood  of  their  glories 

to  see 
Where  the  ebb  and  the  cross-current 

runs. 
To  the  fever-cursed  peasants  in  transport 

and  pen, 
To  the  shark-mangled  fragments  that  once 

were  called  men, 
To   the  targets  for  Catlings  and  Crag- 

Jorgensen, 

To  the  men  who're   in  front  of  our 
guns. 

There  are  vine-wreathed  homes  on  the 
hillsides  of  Spain, 

Where  their  children  will  watch  for  their 
coming  in  vain, 

And  we  turn  from  our  slogan,  "  Remem- 
ber the  *  Maine!'  " 
To  remember  their  wives  and  their  sons. 

Let  us  give  all  our  glories  to  whom  it  is 
due, 

To  our  heroes  who  fought  under  Red, 
White  and  Blue, 

But  a  tear  drop  in  pity ;  humanity's  due 
to  the  men  who're  in  front  of  our  guns. 


393 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


ONE  SOLDIER  DEAD. 

A  FAIR  young  mother  calmly  read 
While  one  hand  rocked  the  cradle 

bed 

Whereon  her  first-born  slept  away 
The  twilight  of  a  summer  day. 
She  carelessly  the  paper  turned 
Till  "  Latest  War  News  "  she  discerned  : 
"  Our   loss  was    small,"    the    dispatches 

said — 
"A  skirmish,  and  one  soldier  dead." 

They  troubled  not  to  give  his  name, 
Or  e'en  the  troop  from  which  he  came; 
For  who,  rejoicing  in  success, 
Cares  if  there  be  one  private  less  ? 
Only  a  soldier  lying  there, 
With  blood  upon  his  sunny  hair, 
With  no  kind  friend  to  raise  his  head, 
Or  treasure  the  last  words  he  said. 

O,  happy  mother,  do  you  know 
That  not  so  many  years  ago 
That  soldier  was  a  baby,  too> 
With  face  as  sweet  and  eyes  as  blue 
As  those  within  yon  cradle  there ! 
And  knew  a  mother's  tender  care, 
Who  now  must  sit  alone  and  weep 
Because  he  wakes  not  from  his  sleep. 

And  other  thousands  also  said  : — 
"  Only  a  private  soldier  dead," 
Witho'ut  a  passing  thought  that  he 
Might  one  of  nature's  nobles  be, 
Or  that  the  words  that  line  contained 
Would  wreck  a  life  that  yet  remained. 
His  mother  waits  for  him  in  vain, 
For  he,  her  only  child,  is  slain. 

JEAN  PAUL  WAYNE. 


JIM. 

BEFORE  he  'listed  folks 'd  laugh 
At  Jim, 
An'  sort  o'  pass  a  joke  'n'  chaff 

At  him; 

An*  say  'at  Jim  was  tarnal  queer, 
An1  vow  he  wuzn't  right  up  here, 
An*  sort  o'  laugh  an'  kind  o'  sneer 
At  him ! 


But  when  they'd  seen  thet  uniform 

On  Jim, 
Why,  hearts  got  somehow  kind  o'  warm 

To  him ; 

An'  folks  jes'  stood  along  th'  route 
T'  see  Jim's  regiment  turn  out, 
An'  mebbe  they  didn't  cheer  'n'  shout 

Fer  him  ! 

An'  then  when  news  arriv'  one  day 

O'  Jim, 
Why,  everybody  said  "  Hoo-ray  !" 

Fer  him. 

Fer  Jim  was  right  bang  in  th'  fight, 
An'  knockin'  Spaniards  left  'n'  right, 
An'  folks  got  thinkin'  thet  ther'  night 

'Bout  Jim. 

An'  when  a-marchin'  home  he  come — 

Our  Jim  ! — 
Mebbe  folks  didn't  make  things  hum 

Fer  him  ! 

They  took  Jim  up  'n'  made  him  mayor, 
An'  run  him  fer  th'  gov'nor's  chair, 
An'  when  Congress  meets,  why,  Jim'il 
be  there — 

Our  Jim  ! 

SHE  DOETH  WHAT  SHE  CAN. 

SHE  sits  alone  in  the  window  seat, 
Watching  the  soldiers  who  throng 

the  street. 

A  tear  clings  fast  to  her  gentle  eye, 
Her  bosom  heaves  with  a  sudden  sigh, 
And  her  slender  fingers  that  clutch  the 

sill 

Wave  a  proud  adieu  with  a  royal  will. 
But  her  mouth  in  its  motion  never  slacks 
O'er  the  gum  she  cheweth  to  pay  the  tax. 

There  are  women  who  go  to  the  battle 

front, 

Women  in  hospitals  bearing  the  brunt, 
Women  who  serve  'neath  the  Red  Cross 

sign, 

Women  whose  mission  seems  half  divine. 
But  Annabel  sits  at  the  window  high ; 
She  cannot  go  where  the  bullets  fly, 
But  steadily  onward  through  packs  and 

packs 
She  cheweth  the  gum  to  pay  the  tax. 


f>6Ef RV   OF  THE  WAS.. 


tHE  BANNER  BETSEY  MADE. 

The  first  American  flag,  including  the 
thirteen  stars  and  stripes,  was  made  by 
Mrs.  Betsey  Ross,  a  Quaker  lady  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

WE  have  nicknamed  it  "Old  Glory" 
As  it  floats  upon  the  breeze, 
Rich  in  legend,  song  and  story 
On  the  land  and  on  the  seas ; 
Far  above  the  shining  river, 

Over  mountain,  glen  and  glade 
With  a  fame  that  lives  forever 
Streams  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

Once  it  went  from  her,  its  maker, 

To  the  glory  of  the  wars, 
Once  the  modest  little  Quaker 

Deftly  studded  it  with  stars ; 
And  her  fingers,  swiftly  flying 

Through  the  sunshine  and  the  shade, 
Welded  colors  bright,  undying, 

In  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

When  at  last  her  needle  rested 

And  her  cherished  work  was  done 
Went  the  banner,  love  invested, 

To  the  camps  of  Washington ; 
And  the  glorious  continentals 

In  the  morning  light  arrayed 
Stood  in  ragged  regimentals 

'Neath  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

How  they  cheered  it  and  its  maker, 

They  the  gallant  sons  of  Mars, 
How  they  blessed  the  little  Quaker 

And  her  flag  of  stripes  and  stars ; 
'Neath  its  folds,  the  foemen  scorning, 

Glinted  bayonets  and  blade, 
And  the  breezes  of  the  morning 

Kissed  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

Years  have  passed,  but  still  in  glory 

With  a  pride  we  love  to  see, 
Laureled  with  a  nation's  glory 

Waves  the  emblem  of  the  free; 
From  the  rugged  pines  of  Northland 

To  the  deep'ning  everglade, 
In  the  sunny  heart  of  Southland 

Floats  the  banner  Betsey  made. 


A  protector  all  have  found  it 

And  beneath  it  stands  no  slave, 
Freemen  brave  have  died  around  it 

On  the  land  and  on  the  wave ; 
In  the  foremost  fro:A  of  battle 

Borne  by  heroes  not  afraid, 
'Mid  the  musket's  doomed  rattle, 

Soared  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

Now  she  sleeps  whose  fingers  flying 

With  a  heart  to  freedom  true 
Mingled  colors  bright,  undying — 

Fashioned  stars  and  field  of  blue ; 
It  will  lack  for  no  defenders 

When  the  nation's  foes  invade, 
For  our  country  rose  to  splendor 

'Neath  the  banner  Betsey  made. 

T.  C.  HARBAUGH. 

LOST  HIS  CHARM. 

WHEN  first  he  came  back  from  camp, 
She  coddled  and  kissed  and  hugged 

him, 

And  though  he  looked  like  a  tramp, 
All  over  the  town  she  lugged  him. 
But  now  that  he's  spruced  up  and  shaved, 

And  shook  those  togs  of  yellow, 
She  regrets  the  way  that  she  raved, 
And  she's  got  another  fellow  ! 

MARY  DEAR  IN  NINETY-EIGHT. 

Mary,  dear,  O  Mary,  sweet  I 

Down  at  your  little  fairy  feet — 
Nay,  lassie,  do  not  scornful  start — 
I  lay  my  fortunes  and  my  heart. 

"  If  you  will  be  my  own,  own  wife, 
A  dream  of  ease  will  be  your  life, 
And  all  that  love  and  gold  can  do, 

0  Mary,  dear,  I'll  do  for  you." 

"  I  scorn  your  heart,  I  scorn  your  gold 

1  have  a  sweetheart  brave  and  bold, 
One  of  a  battleship's  brave  crew, 
My  sailor  sweetheart  tried  and  true. 

"  He  has  no  gold,  but  strong  and  leal, 
He  fearlessly  guards  his  country's  weal, 
And  as  he  loves  his  country  so, 
He'll  love  his  own,  own  wife,  I  know." 
M.  PHELPS  DAWSON. 


400 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


ALPHABETICALLY  ARRANGED. 

A  IS  for  Admiral,  impassionate,  cold, 
Who  waits  for  instructions,  and  does 

as  he's  told. 
B  stands  for   Brooklyn,  commanded  by 

Schley; 

The  hottest  of  liners  he  takes  on  the  fly. 
C  is  for  Cuba,  a  tignt  little  isle ; 

To  get  which  we  may  have  to  fight  quite 

a  while. 

D  is — yes,  Dewey,  a  teacher  of  Spanish ; 
The  first  lesson  caused  all  his  pupils  to 

vanish. 

E  stands  for  Evans,  who's  never  so  happy 
As  when  there's  a  chance   to   get   in 

something  "scrappy." 
F  is  for  Freedom,  which  means  a  great  deal 
When  your  neck  has  been  under  a  vile 

Spanish  heel. 

G  is  for  Germany,  whose  rude  employees 
Should  learn  better  manners ;  be  taught 

to  say  please. 

H  stands  for  Heroes,  on  land  and  on  sea, 
Who  laid  down  their   lives  for   their 

friends'  liberty. 

Fs  for  Insurgents,  who  holler  for  aid ; 
Then  eat  up  the  rations  and  loaf  in  the 

shade. 

J  is  for  Jones,  Davy  Jones,  if  you  will, 
Whose  lockers  we've  twice  had  occasion 

to  fill. 
K  stands  for  King,  the  younr^  King  of 

Spain, 

Who's   been    led  to  regret  what  hap- 
pened the  Maine 

L  is  for  Long,  who  has  great  common- 
sense, 

And  in  whom  the  people  place  all  con- 
fidence. 

M's  for  McKinley,  we  welcome  the  fact 
That    he's    handling   this  matter  with 

very  great  tact. 
N  is  for  Nelson,  Nelson  A.  Miles, 

On  whom  we  depend  to  o'ercome  Span- 
ish wiles. 

O's  the  Oquendo,  a  powerful  cruiser ; 
But  on  a  long  pig-hunt  they  managed 

to  lose  her. 

P's  Porto  Rico ;  the  place  had  some  forts, 
But,  no  doubt,  ere  this  they've  been 
knocked  out  of  sorts 


Q  is  for  Queen,  most  anhappy  of  'adies,, 
Who  fears,  perhaps  rightly,  our  visit  to 

Cadiz. 
R's  for  Reporters;  they're  well   to  thr 

fore, 

But  they  mustn't  imagine  they're  Tan- 
ning this  war. 

S  is  for  Shafter,  a  man  of  great  girth, 
In  spite  of  which  fact  he  is  proving  his • 

worth. 

T  stands  for  Toral,  whose  acted  campaign 
Was   played    for   the   gallery   over   in 

Spain. 
U  is  for  Union,  the  only  cement 

To  strengthen  a  State  and  disruptions 

prevent. 

Vs  for  Vizcaya ;  she  made  a  great  show, 
But  proving  a  nuisance,   we  sent  her 

below 
W  is  for  Wainwright,  whose  motto  must 

be 
"  The  greater  the  odds,  the  better  for 

me." 

X  is  the  cross  that  is  put  against  Spain, 
And  means  that  she's  out  of  the  Blue 

Book  again. 
Y's  for  the  youngsters  that  sneaked  to  the 

front, 
And  gave  their  poor  mammas  no  end 

of  a  hunt. 
Z's  for  the  zeal  that  has  hall-marked  this 

fight; 

This  quality  wins  when  stamped  upon 
right.  A.  C.  NEEDHAM. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA  BAY, 

AT  break  of  dawn  Manila  Bay 
A  sheet  of  limpid  water  lay, 
Extending  twenty  miles  away. 

Twenty  miles  from  shore  to  shore, 
As  creeping  on  a  squadron  bore 
As  squadron  never  moved  before. 

Majestic  in  its  hidden  might, 
It  passed  Corregidor  at  night, 
Inspired  to  battle  for  the  right. 

And  grandly  on  the  Flagship  led, 
Six  ships — Olympia  e'er  ahead — 
With  battle  flags  at  each  masthead. 


POETRY    OF  THE  WAR. 


40J 


The  Baltimore  and  Raleigh  true, 
The  Petrel,  Boston,  Concord,  too, 
Their  flags  of  glory  proudly  flew. 

As  early  daylight  broke  upon 
The  bay — before  the  ri^e  of  sun — 
Was  seen  the  flash  of  opening  gun  ! 

Then  every  second  heard  the  roar 
Of  shell  and  shrapnel  bursting  o'er 
Our  brave,  undaunted  Commodore  ! 

"  Hold  our  fire !  "  he  calmly  said, 
As  from  the  bridge  he  bravely  led 
To  death  or  glory  on  ahead  ! 

And  from  his  lips  or  from  his  hand 
But  one  direction,  one  command, 
"  Follow  the  Flagship  by  the  land." 

Full  twenty  minutes  slowly  crept 
Ere  lightning  from  our  turrets  leapt, 
And  pent-up  hell  no  longer  slept ! 

The  Spanish  fleet,  a  dozen  strong, 
Was  now  in  range,  and  haughty  wrong 
Was  swept  by  awful  fire  along. 

Explosions  wild  destruction  brought 
'Mid  flames  that  mighty  havot  wrought, 
As  either  side  in  fury  fought. 

So  back  and  forth  in  angry  might, 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  waved  on  the 

fight, 
'Mid  bursting  shells  in  deadly  flight! 

The   Spanish   decks  with    dead   were 

strewn, 

Their  guns  on  shore  were  silenced  soon, 
Their  flags  were  down  ere  flush  of  noon. 

Their  ships,  their  batteries  on  the  shore 
Were  gone  to  fight  again  no  more — 
Their  loss,  a  thousand  men  or  more ! 

Dawned  on  the  fleet  that  Dewey  led 
A  miracle,  while  Spaniards  bled ; 
For  on  our  side  was  not  one  dead ! 

The  battle  of  Manila  Bay  . 
From  mind  shall  never  pass  away — 
Nor  deeds  of  glory  wrought  that  day  ; 
26~D 


For  'mid  that  battle's  awful  roar 
The  Spanish  pride,  to  rise  no  more, 
Was  humbled  by  our  Commodore. 
CORWIN  P.  Ross. 

THE  POET  SOLDIER. 

HE  wrote  good  poems  all  his  life. 
And  after  twenty  years  of  strife 
His  name  was  simply  Amos. 
He  went  to  war  and  killed  a  Don, 
And  now  he's  got  brass  buttons  on, 
And  now  his  name  is  famous. 


HARDSHIPS  OF  WAR. 

AT  Santiago  he  had  lumbago, 
At  Tampa  the  fever  and  chills; 
Before  El  Caney  the  weather  was  rainy, 

And  there  he  had  other  ills. 
He  reached  Camp  Alger  and  got  neuralgia, 

And  at  Montauk  the  fever  yellow, 
But  at  home  was  the  blow  that  laid  him 

low, 
His  girl  had  another  fellow. 

CLIPS  AND  COMMENTS. 

IT  is  but  a  Spanish  custom  ; 
It  was  not  the  youngster's  fault 
That  he  never  had  the  training 

Which  would  help  him  earn  his  salt. 
And  he  couldn't  raise  a  protest 

When  to  christen  him  they  came, 
And  they  solemnly  afflicted 

The  poor  infant  with  the  name, 

"  Alfonso  XIII,  Leon  Ferdinand  Maria 

James  Isidore  Pascal  Antonio." 

And  it's  not  at  all  surprising 

That  in  business  of  state, 
And  in  military  matters 

All  his  people  come  too  late. 
For  it's  likely  to  occasion 

An  embarrassing  delay 
When  they  rally  up  their  cohorts, 

And  they  stop  to  shout  "  Hooray 
For   Alfonso   XIII,  Leon    Ferdinand 
Maria 

James  Isidore  Pascal  Antonio  1" 


402 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


THE  HERO  DOWN   BELOW. 

IN  the  awful  heat  and  torture 
Of  the  fires  that  leap  and  dance 
In  and  out  the  furnace  doors  that  never 

close, 

On  in  silence  he  must  work, 
For  with  him  there's  ne'er  a  chance 
On  his  brow  to  feel  the  outer  breeze  that 
blows. 

For  they've  locked  him  in  a  room, 

Down  below, 
In  a  burning,  blazing  tomb, 

Down  below, 

Where  he  cannot  see  the  sky, 
Cannot  learn  in  time  to  fly, 
When  Destruction  stalketh  nigh, 

Down  below. 

Though  his  name  is  never  mentioned, 
Though  we  see  or  know  him  not, 

Though  his  deeds  may  never  bring  him 

worldly  fame, 

He's  a  man  above  the  others — 
And  the  bravest  of  the  lot — 

And  the  hero  of  the  battle,  just  the  same. 

He's  the  man  who  does  the  work, 

Down  below, 
From  the  labor  does  not  shirk, 

Down  below, 

He  is  shoveling  day  and  night, 
Feeding  flames  a-blazing  bright, 
Keeping  up  a  killing  fight, 

Down  below. 

MISTER  SOJER  MAN. 

1  AIN'T  got  time  ter  fool  wid  you, 
Mister  Sojer  Man ; 
Never  did  look  good  in  blue, 

Mister  Sojer  Man. 
'Sides  dat,  1  got  my  wuk  ter  do — 
Feed  myse'f  en  fambly,  too; 
Ain't  got  time  ter  fool  wid  you, 
Mister  Sojer  man ! 

Go  'long  now  en  fight  yo'  fight, 

Mister  Sojer  Man ; 
Fling  dem  bombshells  lef '  en  right, 

Mister  Sojer  Man. 
Got  ter  hoe  dat  cotton  white, 
Keep  dat  nutgrass  out  er  sight ; 
Go  'long  now,  en  fight  yo'  fight, 

Mister  Sojer  man  1 


THE  EIGHT  YANKEE  SEAMEN. 

WE  have  read  of  the  noble  six  hundred 
Who  rode  to  the  gate  of  hell; 
How  cannon  roared  right  and  left  of  them, 
And  many  a  noble  man  fell. 

They  were  ordered,  and  each  did  his  duty; 

A  soldier  must  always  obey — 
But  the  volunteer  eight  Y-^kee  seamen 

Have  eclipsed  the  six  hundred  to-day 

There  was  death  both  below  and  above 

them, 

Torpedoes  and  bullets  and  shell ; 
They  s.teamed  from  our  fleet  in  the  midst 

of  it, 

And  their  comrades  wished  them  fare- 
well. 

God  guarded  these  kings  of  the  ocean, 
He  honored  the  brave  and  the  true ; 

The  nation  salutes  to  their  honor ; 
The  enemy  honored  them,  too. 

EDWARD  G.  DRAPER. 

PEACE. 

THE  work  is  wrought ;  the  cannon's  roar 
On  sea  or  land  is  heard  no  more; 
The  battle's  rage  and  tumult  cease 
In  songs  of  victory  and  peace. 

The  Heaven-appointed  task  is  done; 
The  cause  for  which  we  fought  is  won; 
And  Cuba  Libre,  fairest  gem, 
Is  set  in  Freedom's  diadem. 

The  islands  of  the  sea  rejoice ; 
The  floods  lift  up  their  mighty  voice ; 
From  shore  to  shore  the  anthems  rise — 
A  nation's  grateful  sacrifice. 

Manila's  waters,  blue  and  broad, 
Reflect  the  righteousness  of  God ; 
And  Santiago's  wreck-strewn  shore 
Resounds  His  praise  forevermore. 

Long  as  the  stars  shall  shine  o'erhead, 
In  deathless  fame  shall  live  the  dead,— 
Their  country's  glory  and  renown 
Their  fadeless,  everlasting  crown. 

The  morning  breaks  !  the  shadows  flee  ! 
Christ's  kingdom  comes  on  land  and  sea; 
The  rule  of  love,  the  reign  of  good — 
The  whole  round  world  one  brotherhood. 
BENJAMIN  COPELAND. 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


403 


OUR  AMERICAN  WOMEN. 

THE    maid  who   binds   her   warrior's 
sash 

With  smile  that  well  her  pain  dissem- 
bles, 

The  while  beneath  her  drooping  lash 
One  starry  tear-drop  hangs  and  trem- 
bles, 

Though  Heaven  alone  records  the  tear, 
And  Fame  shall  never  know  her  story. 
Her  heart  has  shed  a  drop  as  dear 
As  e'er  bedewed  the  field  of  glory! 

The  wife  who  girds  her  husband's  sword, 

Mid  little  ones  who  weep  or  wonder, 
And  bravely  speaks  the  cheering  word, 

What  though  her  heart  be  rent  asunder, 
Doomed  nightly  in  her  dreams  to  hear 

The  bolts  of  death  around  him  rattle, 
Hath  shed  as  sacred  blood  as  e'er 

Was  poured  upon  the  field  of  battle  ! 

The  mother  who  conceals  her  grief 

While  to  her  breast  her  sons  he  presses, 
Then    breathes    a   few  brave  words  and 
brief, 

Kissing  the  patriot  brow  she  blesses, 
With  no  one  but  her  secret  God 

To  know   the  pain   that  weighs  upon 

her, 
Sheds  holy  blood  as  e'er  the  sod 

Received  on  Freedom's  field  of  honor  ! 

THOMAS  BUCHANAN  READ. 


MARCH  OF  THE  DEAD  BRIGADE. 

NO  sound  disturbs  the  drowsy  dawn, 
As  forms  the  dead  brigade ; 
Its  silent  ranks,  in  serried  lines, 
Glide  onward  toward  the  springing  pines, 
All  phantoms  in  parade. 

Their  steps  bend  not  the  drooping  corn. 

These  warriors  all  are  ghosts. 
In  rank  and  file,  with  solemn  tread, 
Their  captains  marching  at  the  head, 

Move  on  these  silent  hosts. 

From  out  the  tented  camp  of  death, 
Their  flag  of  peace  displayed, 


With  footfall  soft  as  dew  at  morn, 
These  cohorts  sweep  the  bending  corn, 
Where  battle  once  was  laid. 

The  mark  of  God's  eternal  peace 

Their  countenances  bear ; 
And  freed  from  all  unholy  hate, 
They  shine  with  that  exalted  state 

Which  heaven's  angels  share. 

THOMAS  S.  DENISON. 

THE  MAN  WHO  COOKS  THE  GRUB. 

WE  have  read  in  song  and  story 
Of  "  the  man  behind  the  gun," 
He  is  given  all  the  glory 

Of  the  battles  that  are  won ; 
They  are  filling  up  the  papers 

With  his  apotheosis, 
And  they  tell  about  his  capers 

While  the  shells  above  him  hiss. 
But  behind  the  grimy  gunner, 

Steadfast  through  the  wild  hubbub, 
Stands  a  greater  god  of  battles — 

'Tis  the  man  who  cooks  the  grub. 

When  the  sky  is  rent  with  thunder 

And  the  shell  screams  through  the  air> 
When  some  fort  is  rent  asunder 

And  Destruction  revels  there, 
When  the  men  in  line  go  rushing 

On  to  glory  or  to  woe 
With  the  maddened  charges  crushing 

Heroes  who  are  lying  low, 
There  is  one  but  for  whose  labors 

There  could  be  no  wild  hubbub, 
And  the  greatest  god  of  battles 

Is  the  man  who  cooks  the  grub. 

What  of  ships  with  armor  plating? 

What  of  castles  on  the  heights  ? 
What  of  anxious  captains  waiting 

While  the  careful  gunner  sights  ? 
What  of  all  the  long-range  rifles? 

What  of  men  with  valiant  hearts? 
These  were  but  impotent  trifles, 

But  inconsequential  parts 
Of  the  whole,  without  the  fellow 

Who  must  scour,  scrape  and  scrub— 
For  the  greatest  god  of  battles 

Is  the  man  who  cooks  the  grub. 


404 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


IN  MANILA  BAY. 

ON  the  broad  Manila  Bay 
The  Spanish  cruisers  lay, 
In  the  shelter  of  their  forts  upon  the 

shore ; 

And  they  dared  their  foes  to  sail 
Thro'  the  crashing  iron  hail 

Which  the  guns  from  decks  and  battle- 
ments would  pour. 

All  the  harbor  ways  were  mined, 
And  along  the  channel  blind 

Slept    the   wild    torpedoes,    dreaming 

dreams  of  wrath. 
Yea  !  the  fiery  hates  of  hell 
Lay  beneath  the  ocean's  swell, 

Like  a  thousand  demons  ambushed  in 
the  path. 

Breasting  fierce  Pacific  gales, 
Lo  !  a  little  squadron  sails, 

And  the  Stars  and  Stripes  are  floating 

from  its  spars 
It  is  friendless  and  alone, 
Aids  and  allies  it  has  none, 

But  a  dauntless  choius  sing  its  daunt- 
less tars : 

"  We're  ten  thousand  miles  from  home ; 
Ocean* s  wastes  and  wave  and  foam 
Shut  us  from  the  land  we  love  so  far 

away. 

We  have  ne'er  a  friendly  port 
For  retreat  as  last  resort, 

But  we'll  beard  the  ships  of  Spain  in 
their  own  bay. 

"  They  have  mines  beneath  the  sea, 
They  have  forts  upon  their  lee, 

They  have  everything  to  aid  them  in 

the  fray ; 

But  we'll  brave  their  hidden  mines, 
And  we'll  face  their  blazing  lines ; 
Yes!     We'll  beard  the  ships  of  Spain  in 

their  own  bay. 

"  If  we're  worsted  in  the  fight, 

We  shall  perish  in  the  right — 

No  hand  will  wipe  the  dews  of  death  away. 

The  wounded  none  will  tend, 

For  we've  not  a  single  friend  ; 

But  we'll  beard  the  ships  of  Spam  in 
their  own  bay. 


"  No  ironclads  we  sail, 
Only  cruisers  light  and  frail, 

With  no  armor  plates  to  turn  the  shells 

away. 

All  the  battleships  now  steer 
Jn  another  hemisphere, 

But  we'll  beard  the  ships  of  Spain  in 
their  own  bay. 

"  Ho !  Remember  now  the  Maine  ! 
Up  !  And  smite  the  ships  of  Spain  ! 

Let  them  not  forget  for  years  this  first 

of  May ! 

Though  hell  blaze  up  from  beneath, 
Forward  through  the  cannon's  breath, 

When  Dewey  leads  into  Manila  Bay." 

There,  half-way  round  the  world, 
Swift  and  straight  the  shots  were  hurled, 
And  a  handful  of  bold  sailors  won  the 

day. 

Never  since  earth  was  begun 
Has  a  braver  deed  been  done 

Than  when  Dewey  sailed  into  Manila 
Bay. 

God  made  for  him  a  path 
Thro'  the  mad  torpedoes'  wrath, 

From   their   slumbers   never   wakened 

into  play. 

When  dawn  smote  the  east  with  gold, 
Spaniards  started  to  behold 

Dewey   and    his    gallant    fleet   within 
their  bay. 

Then  from  forts  and  warships  first 
Iron  maledictions  burst, 

And   the  guns  with  tongues  of  flame 

began  to  pray ; 
Like  demons  out  of  hell 
The  batteries  roar  and  yell, 

While  Dewey  answers  back  across  the 
bay. 

O  Gods  !  it  was  a  sight, 

Till  the  smoke,  as  black  as  night, 

Hid  the  fire-belching  ships  from  light 

of  day. 

When  it  lifted  from  the  tide, 
Smitten  lo\v  was  Spanish  pride, 

And  Dewey  -*-as  the  master  of  their  bay. 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


405 


Where  the  awful  conflict  roared, 
And  red  blood  in  torrents  poured, 

There  the  Stars  and  Stripes  are  waving 

high  to  day. 

Dewey  !     Hero  strong  and  grand  ! 
Shout  his  name  thro'  every  land  ! 

For  he  sunk  the  ships  of  Spain  in  their 
own  bay. 

CHARLES  WADSWORTH,  JR. 

THE  CHINAMAN   IN  THE  NAVY. 

ME  be  with  Dewey  on  the  shippee, 
Me  Dewey  all  me  can ; 
Me  yell  like  hellee,  ki,  yi  hippee, 

Me  fight  like  Melican  man. 
Me  no  like  Dutch,  he  too  much  flippee, 

Him  all  the  same  big  ham; 
Me  no  like  Spanish,  too  much  lippee, 
Me  like  Melican  man. 

Me  no  afraid  of  shellee  hittee, 

Me  shoottee  all  me  can  ; 
Me  helpee  capture  Spanish  cittee, 

Me  fight  like  Melican  man. 
Me  kiliee  Spanish ;  me  no  pittee, 

Me  donttee  give  a  dlamn ; 
Me  drinkee,  smokee,  chewee,  spittee, 

Me  be  like  Melican  man. 

Dewey  likee  us  velly  muchee, 

Cause  Chinee,  he  no  run ; 
But  Dewey,  he  no  likee  Dutchee, 

They  gettee  near  his  gun, 
Me  fightee  allee  same  for  Dewey, 

Me  habee  plentee  fun; 
Me  drinkee,  smokee,  cursee,  chewee, 

Me  fight  like  son-of-a-gun. 


U 


THE  SOUTH  AND  THE  FLAG. 

P  with  the  banner  of  the  free ! 


Its  stars  and  stripes  unfurl, 
And  let  the  battle  beauty  blaze 

Above  a  startled  world. 
No  more  around  its  towering  staff 

The  folds  shall  twine  again, 
Till  falls  beneath  its  righteous  wrath 

The  gonfalon  of  Spain. 

That  flag  with  constellated  stars 
Shines  ever  in  the  van ! 


And,  like  the  rainbow  in  the  storm, 

Presages  peace  to  man. 
For  still  amid  the  cannon's  roar 

It  sanctifies  the  fight, 
And  flames  along  the  battle  lines, 

The  emblem  of  the  Right. 

It  seeks  no  conquest — knows  no  fear ; 

Cares  not  for  pomp  or  state  ; 
As  pliant  as  the  atmosphere, 

As  resolute  as  Fate. 
Where'er  it  floats,  on  land  or  sea, 

No  stain  its  honor  mars, 
And  Freedom  smiles,  her  fate  secure, 

Beneath  its  steadfast  stars. 

H.  L.  FLASH. 

GUARD  THE  RED  CROSS. 

GOD   guard    the    cross,    the   glowing, 
blood-red  cross, 

That  emblem  dear  of  care,  and  Chris- 
tian love 

For  suffering  ones ;  yet  many  a  cruel  loss 
Lies    'neath    it,     tho'    our   flag   waves 

proud  above. 
Fond  aching  hearts  are  seared  sore  and 

deep 
For  those  whose  lives  are  peril'd  for  its 

sake 
'Neath  torrid  skies;  and  helpless  women 

weep 

And,  trembling,  raise  their  prayers  from 
hearts  that  break. 

God  guard  the  cross,  protect  the  brave 

and  true, 
Who  wear  it  in  their  hearts  or  on  the 

sleeve. 

Oh,  send  Thine  angels,  guard  each  name- 
less grave, 
And  dwell  within   the  hearts  of  those 

who  grieve 

So  hasten  righteous  ends  on  land  and  sea, 
That  peace — whose  sleeve   shall   bear 

the  cross  of  red — 

Shall  end  this  strife,  and  we  united  be 
With  those  who  follow' d,  where  the  red 
cross  led. 

HARRIETT  A.  ROCKWELL- WHITE. 


406 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


REFLECTED  GLORY. 

SHE  used  to  smile  upon  me, 
But  she  doesn't  any  more; 
She  holds  her  head  much  higher 

Than  she  ever  did  before ; 
She  regards  me  as  a  being 

Of  a  lower  sphere  to-day, 
For  her  cousin  fought  with  Dewey 
When  he  took  Manila  Bay. 

She  used  to  sit  and  listen 

To  the  thrilling  tales  I  told : 
She  used  to  look  upon  me 

As  among  the  brave  and  bold ; 
But  I've  ceased  to  interest  her, 

She  looks  down  on  me  to  day, 
For  her  cousin  was  with  Dewey 

When  he  took  Manila  Bay 

Oh,  I  wish  her  valiant  cousin 

Were  in  Van  Dieman's  Land, 
And  that  I  had  been  with  Dewey 

To  pitch  in  and  take  a  hand  ! 
Ah,  her  manner's  cold  and  distant, 

And  her  glances  seem  to  say : 
* l  You  were  not  out  there  with  Dewey 

When  he  took  Manila  Bay  !  " 

MY  SOLDIER  BOY. 

WHEN  night  comes  on,  when  morn- 
ing breaks,  they  rise — 
Those  earnest  prayers,  by  faithful  lips 

oft  said, 
And  pierce  the  blue  which  shrouds  the 

inner  skies, 
"  God  guard  my  boy ;  God  grant  he  is 

not  dead." 
"  My  soldier  boy — where  is  he  camped 

to-night?" 

"God  guard  him  waking,  sleeping,  or 
in  fight." 

Far,  far  away  where  tropic  suns  cast  down 
Their    scorching    rays,    where    sultry 

damp  airs  rise 
And  haunting  breath  of  sickness  holds  its 

own, 

A  homesick  boy,  sore,  wounded,  suf- 
fering lies : 

"  Mother  !  mother  !  "  is  his  ceaseless  cry, 
"Come,  mother,   come,  and   see   me 
'ere  J  die  1" 


Where  is  war's  glory  ?    Ask  the  trumpet's 

blare — 
The  strife-marching   columns   run   to 

bitter 

Ask  of  the  raw  recruit  who  knows  as  yet 
Naught  of  its  horrors,  naught  of  its  loss 

of  life ; 

Ask  not  the  mother,  weeping  for  her  son  :) 
She   knows   the   heartaches    following* 
victories  won. 

FIDELE  H.  HOLLAND. 

THE  NEW  ALABAMA. 

THAR'S  a  bran  new  "  Alabama  "  that 
they're  fittin'  out  for  sea, 
An'  them  that's  seen  her  tell  me  she's  as 

lively  as  kin  be  ; 
An'    them   big   Havana   gin'ruls    better 

open  wide  their  gates 
Ef  she's  any  like  her  namesake  of  the  old 
Confed'rit  States  ! 

A  bran'  new  "  Alabama  !  "  She  orter  be 

the  best 
That  ever  plowed  a  furrow  in  the  ocean — 

east  or  west ! 
An'  I'm  shore  that  she'll  be  heard  from — 

jest  open  wide  your  gates 
Ef  she's  any  like  her  namesake  of  the  old 

Confed'rit  States ! 

I  bet  she's  full  o'  sperrit !  I  bet  her  guns'll 
keep 

The  Spanish  cruisers  huntin'  fer  a  harbor 
on  the  deep  ! 

She'll  storm  the  forts  an'  take  'em- 
she' 11  batter  down  the  gates 

Ef  she's  any  like  her  namesake  of  the  old 
Confed'rit  States ! 


THE  SONG  OF  DEWEY'S  GUNS. 

WHAT  is  this  thunder  music  from  the 
other  side  of  the  world, 
That  pulses  through  the  severing  seas, 

and  round  th;  planet  runs? 
'Tis  the  death  song  of  old  Spain  floating 

from  the  Asian  main  ; 
There's  a  tale  of  crumbling  empire  ilX 
the  song  of  Dewey's  guns  I 


POETRY   OF   THE  WAR. 


407 


The  hand  that  held  the  sceptre  once  of 

all  the  great  world  seas, 
And  paved  the  march  with  dead  men's 

bones  'neath  all  the  circling  suns, 
Grew  faint  with  deadly  fear  when  that 

thunder  song  grew  near, 
For  the  dirge  of  Spain  was  sounded  by 
the  song  of  Dewey's  guns ! 

There  is  music  in  a  cannon,  yet,  for  all 

Sons  of  Peace — 
Yes,  the  porthole's  belching  anthem  is 

soft  music  to  her  sons 
When  the  iron   thunder  song  sings  the 

death  of  ancient  wrong — 
And  a  dying  wrong  was  chanted  by  the 
song  of  Dewey's  guns. 

SAM  WALTER  Foss. 

UNITED  STATES  NAVY'S  CAPTURES. 

THE  Spaniard  may  sneer  or  wax  wroth 
as  he  will ; 

Your  Uncle  Sam  cares  not  a  jot. 
But  when  something  practical  calls  for 

his  skill, 

His  cannon  are  there,  on  the  spot. 
For  fierce  counter-phases  slight  headway 

can  make 
'Gainst  professional  knaves  and   their 

tools ; 
The   way  to  awake  their   remorse  is  to 

take 
Their  lumber,  provisions  and  mules. 

The  poet  who  sang  about  "  arms  and  the 

man," 

And  "  Mars  "  in  his  old  epic  lay, 
Would  find  some  new  topics,  if  he  were 

to  scan 

The  scene  of  an  up-to-date  fray. 
He  still  might  describe  how  men  clash 

and  disperse 

In  wrath  which  defeat  never  cools ; 
But  he'd  tack  on  a  verse  the  renown  to 

rehearse 
Of  lumber,  provisions  and  mules. 

THE  BLACK  REGIMENTS. 

DE  cullud  troops,  dey  marchin' — 
De  regiments  gwine  pas' ; 
"Enwhar  did  de  Guv'ment  sen'  you?" 
'•  We  gwine  ter  de  Tortu-gas  J  " 


Oh,  my  wife  en  chillin'  ! 

Make  way  en  lemme  pass  ! 
De  Guv'ment  sen'  me  fur  frum  home! 

I  gwine  ter  de  Tortu-gas  ! 

De  cullud  troops,  dey  marchin'— 
Dey  trompin'  down  de  grass ; 

"  En  whar  is  de  Guv'ment  sen'  you  ?  " 
"  We  gwine  ter  de  Tortu-gas  !  " 

Oh,  my  wife  en  chillin' ! 

Make  way  en  lemme  pass  ! 
De  Guv'ment  sen'  me  fur  frum  home — 

I  gwine  ter  de  Tortu-gas. 


NEGLECTED  WIFE, 

SHE. 

YOU  used  to  kiss  me  fondly 
When  you  came  to  tea ; 
But  now  you  read  your  paper, 
And  hardly  notice  me ; 

You  used  to  say  you  loved  me, 
You  praised  my  eyes  and  hair ; 

But  now  you  never  tell  me 
That  I  am  sweet  or  fair; 

You  used  to  take  me  strolling, 
At  dusk,  beneath  the  trees, 

And  often,  after  dinner, 

You  held  me  on  your  knees ; 

You  used  to  be  so  tender, 
So  thoughtful  and  so  true, 

And  you  were  interested 
In  all  I  had  to  do : 

But  now  you  never  listen 

To  what  I  have  to  say; 
The  love  I  had  is  only 

A  memory,  to-day. 

HE. 

Ah,  foolish  girl !     'Tis  yours, 
The  love  you're  sighing  for — 

But  there — keep  still — I'm  anxious 
To  read  about  the  war. 


403' 


POETRY    OF   THE   WAR. 


A  POEM  WITH  A  MORAL. 

FOR   THE    INSTRUCTION    OF    GUARDSMEN 
WHO   DO    NOT   LIKE    "MARTINETS." 

THE  'eathen  in  'is  blindness  bows  down 
to  wood  and  stone  ; 
'E  don't  obey  no  orders  unless  they  is  'is 

own ; 
'E  keeps  'is  siiearms  awful;  'e  leaves  'em 

all  about, 

An'  then  comes  up  the  regiment  an' 
pokes  the  'eathen  out. 

The   young  recruit  is  'aughty — 'e  drops 

from  Gawd  knows  where ; 
They  bid  'im  show  'is  stockin's  an'  lay  'is 

mattress  square ; 
'E  calls  it  bloomin'  nonsense — 'e  doesn't 

know  no  more — 
An'  then  up  comes  'is  company  an'  kicks 

'em  round  the  floor ! 

The  young  recruit  is  'ammered — 'e  takes 

it  very  'ard ; 
*E  'angs  his  'ead  an'  mutters — 'e  sulks 

about  the  yard ; 
'E  talks  o'  "  cruel  tyrants  "  'e'll  swing  for 

by  an'  bye, 
An'  the  others  'ears  an'  mocks  'im,  an* 

the  boy  goes  orf  to  cry. 

The  young  recruit  is  silly — 'e  thinks  o' 

suicide ; 
'E's  lost  'is  gutter-devil;  'e  'asn't  got  'is 

pride ; 
But  day  by  day  they  kicks  'im,  which 

'elps  'im  on  a  bit, 
Till  'e  finds  'isself  one  mornin'  with  a  full 

an'  proper  kit. 

An'  now  the  hugly  bullets  come  peekin' 
through  the  dust, 

An'  no  one  wants  to  face  'em,  but  every 
beggar  must ; 

So,  like  a  man  in  irons  which  isn't  glad 
to  go, 

They  moves  'em  off  by  companies,  un- 
common stiff  an'  slow. 

Of  all  'is  five  years  schoolin'  they  don't 

remember  much, 
Excep'  the  not  retreatin',  the  step  an' 

keepin'  touch. 


It  looks  like  teachin'  wasted  when  they 

duck  an'  spread  an'  'op. 
But  if  'e  'adn't  learned  'em  they'd  be  all 

about  the  shop ! 

RUDYARD  KIPLING. 

WHO  WILL  CARE  FOR  MOTHER  NOW? 

During  one  of  our  late  battles,  among 
many  other  noble  fellows  that  fell,  was  a 
young  man  who  had  been  the  only  sup- 
port of  an  aged  and  sick  mother  for  years. 
Hearing  the  surgeon  tell  those  who  were 
near  him,  that  he  could  not  live,  he  placed 
his  hand  across  his  forehead  and,  with  a 
trembling  voice,  said,  while  burning  tears 
ran  down  his  fevered  cheeks:  "  Who  will 
care  for  mother  now  ?  " 

WHY  am  I  so  weak  and  weary  ? 
See  how  faint  my  heated  breath, 
All  around  to  me  seems  darkness- 
Tell  me,  comrades,  is  this  death? 
Ah  !  how  well  I  know  your  answer. 

To  my  fate  I  meekly  bow, 
If  you'll  only  tell  me  truly, 

Who  will  care  for  mother  now? 

CHORUS. 

Soon  with  angels  I'll  be  marching, 
With  bright  laurels  on  my  brow, 

I  have  for  my  country  fallen, 
Who  will  care  for  mother  now? 

Who  will  comfort  her  in  sorrow  ? 

Who  will  dry  the  fallen  tear, 
Gently  smooth  the  wrinkled  forehead? 

Who  will  whisper  words  of  cheer? 
Even  now  I  think  I  see  her 

Kneeling,  praying  for  me !  how 
Can  I  leave  her  in  her  anguish  ? 

Who  will  care  for  mother  now? 

Let  this  knapsack  be  my  pillow, 

And  my  mantle  be  the  sky ; 
Hasten,  comrades,  to  the  battle, 

I  will  like  a  soldier  die. 
Soon  with  angels  I'll  be  marching, 

With  bright  laurels  on  my  brow; 
I  have  for  my  country  fallen, 

Who  will  care  for  mother  now  ? 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


409 


WILLIE  HAS  GONE  TO  THE  WAR. 

THE  blue  bird  is  singing  its  lay 
To  all  the  sweet  flowers  of  the  dale; 
The  wild  bee  is  roaming,  at  play ; 
And  soft  is  the  sigh  of  the  gale  ; 
I  stray  by  the  brook-side,  alone, 

Where  oft  we  have  wandered  before, 
'And  weep  for  my  loved  one — my  own : 
My  Willie  has  gone  to  the  war ! 

CHORUS. 

Willie  has  gone  to  the  war,  Willie — 
Willie,  my  loved  one — my  own  ; 

Willie  has  gone  to  the  war,  Willie — 
Willie,  my  loved  one,  has  gone. 

It  was  there,  where  the  lily-bells  grow, 

That  I  last  saw  his  noble  young  face ; 
But  now  he  has  gone  to  the  foe — 

Oh  !  dearly  I  love  the  old  place ! 
The  whispering  waters  repeat 

The  name  that  I  love,  o'er  and  o'er, 
And  daisies,  that  nod  at  my  feet, 

Say :  Willie  has  gone  to  the  war ! 

The  leaves  of  the  forest  will  fade, 

The  roses  will  wither  and  die, 
And  Spring  to  our  home  in  the  glade, 

On  fairy-like  pinions,  will  fly ; 
But  still  I  will  hopefully  wait 

Till  the  day  when  those  battles  are  o'er; 
And  pine  like  a  bird  for  its  mate, 

Till  Willie  comes  home  from  the  war. 

MARCHIN'  WID  DE  BAN*. 

OWE'S  mighty  monstrous  happy, 
7     In  de  middle  ob  de  day 
When  the  sun  am  shinin'  brightly 

An'  de  flags  am  flyin*  gay ; 
When  a  ban'  ob  sixty  pieces 

(Sixty  pieces,  mo'  o'  less) 
Plays  sich  lubly  music 

Dat  it  lull  yo'  soul  to  res*. 
Wid  de  drum  majah  a-struttin' 

Lak  a  turkey  goblah  gran' 
An'  we  am  dancin'  an'  a-prancin' 

An'  a-marchin'  wid  de  ban'. 

Keepin'  step  am  jus'  ez  eazy 
When  the  ban'  begin'  to  play, 

Jus'  comes  to  us  as  nachal 
Ez  as  a  hoss  come  to  his  huy, 


Kas  ouah  h'ahts  am  full  ob  gladness 

When  de  drums  begin  to  beat, 
Wid  dey  thumpin'  an'  a-bumpin' 

While  we  keeps  time  wid  ouah  feet. 
De  pleasure  am  jus'  'licious — 

De  fines'  in  de  Ian' — 
When  we  am  dancin'  an'  a-prancin' 

An'  a-marchin'  wid  de  ban'.  , 

Ef  yo'  eber  has  some  trubbel, 

In  any  time  ob  yeah, 
Collectin'  de  cullud  people, 

A-livin'  fuh  an'  neah, 
Git  a  ban'  ob  sixty  pieces, 

All  dressed  in  unifohms, 
Wid  dem  gol'  things  on  dey  shouldara 

An'  red  stripes  'roun'  they  ahms, 
Den  all  de  cullud  people— 

De  yaller,  black  an'  tan — 
Will  quit  dey  situations 

An'  go  marchin'  wid  dat  ban'. 

PHIL.  H.  BROWN. 

TO  THE  FLYING  SQUADRON. 

CIERCE  flock  of  sea  gulls,  with  huge 
JP      wings  of  white, 

Tossed  on  the  treacherous  blue, 
Poising  your  pinions  in  majestic  flight— 

Our  hearts  take  voyage  with  you. 

God  save  us  from  war's  terrors !     May 
they  cease  i 

And  yet  one  fate,  how  worse ! 
A  bloodless,  perjured,  prostituting  peace, 

Glutting  a  coward's  purse  ! 

Oh,  if  yon  beaks  and  talons  clutch  and 

cling 

Far  in  the  middle  seas 
With  those  of  hostile  war  birds,  wing  to 

wing — 
Our  hearts  shall  fight  with  these. 

God  speed  you  !     Never  fared  crusading 
knight 

On  holier  quest  than  ye — 
Sworn  to  the  rescue  of  the  trampled  Right, 

Sworn  to  make  Cuba  free ! 

Yea,  swiftly  to  avenge  our  martyred  Maine, 
I  watch  you  curve  and  wheel 

In   horrible  grace  of  battle—scourge  of 

Spain, 
girds  with  the  beaks  of  steel! 


410 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


KISS  ME  AS  OF  OLD,  MOTHER. 

ON  the  field  of  battle,  mother, 
All  the  night  alone  I  lay, 
Angels  watching  o'er  me,  mother, 

'Till  the  breaking  of  the  day; 
I  lay  thinking  of  you,  mother, 

And  the  loving  ones  at  home, 

'Till  to  our  dear  cottage,  mother, 

Boy  again  I  seemed  to  come. 

CHORUS. 

Kiss  me  for  my  brother,  sister— 
When  I  sleep  deep  in  the  grave, 

Tell  I  died  true  to  my  country — 
Her  honor  tried  to  save. 

I  must  soon  be  going,  mother, 

Going  to  the  home  of  rest; 
Kiss  me  as  of  old,  mother, 

Press  me  nearer  to  your  breast ; 
Would  I  could  repay  you,  mother, 

For  your  faithful  love  and  care, 
God  uphold  and  bless  you,  mother, 

In  this  bitter  woe  you  bear. 


TELL  MOTHER  I  DIE  HAPPY. 

I  AM  dying,  comrades,  dying 
As  you  hear  me  lightly  tread ; 
Soon,  ah,  soon,  I  shall  be  lying 

With  the  silent,  sleeping  dead. 
I  am  dying,  comrades,  dying, 

Still  the  battle  rages  near; 

Tell  me,  are  our  foes  a  flying  ? 

I  die  happy,  mother  dear. 

CHORUS. 

Tell  my  mother  I  die  happy, 
That  for  me  she  must  not  weep; 

Tell  her  how  I  longed  to  kiss  her, 
Ere  I  sunk  in  death  to  sleep. 

I  am  going,  comrades,  going; 

See  how  damp  my  forehead's  now; 
Oh,  I  see  the  angels  coming, 

With  bright  garlands  for  my  brow. 
Bear  this  message  to  my  mother ; 

How  in  death  that  God  was  near, 
He  to  bless  and  to  support  me ; 

I  die  happy,  mother  dear, 


Lay  me,  comrades,  'neath  the  willow, 

That  grows  on  the  distant  shore; 
Wrap  the  starry  flag  around  me, 

I  would  press  its  folds  once  more ; 
Let  the  cold  earth  be  my  pillow, 

And  the  stars  and  stripes  my  shroud : 
Soon,  oh,  soon,  I  shall  be  marching 

Amid  the  heavenly  crowd. 

THE  TORPEDO-BOAT. 

SHE'S  a  floating  boiler  crammed  with 
fire  and  steam ; 
A   toy,    with   dainty   works   like    any 

watch ; 

A  working,  weaving  basketful  of  tricks — - 
Eccentric,    cam    and    lever,    cog    and 

notch. 
She's  a  dashing,  lashing,  tumbling  shell 

of  steel, 

A  headstrong,  kicking,  nervous,  plung- 
ing beast ; 
A  long,  lean  ocean  liner — trimmed  down 

small ; 
A  bucking  broncho  harnessed  for  the 

East. 

She  can  rear  and  toss  and  roll 
Your  body  from  your  soul, 

And  she's  most  unpleasant  wet — to  say 
the  least ! 

But  see  her  slip  in,  sneaking  down,  at 

night ; 

All   a-tremble,   deadly,   silent — Satan- 
sly. 
Watch  her  gather  for  the  rush,  and  catch 

her  breath ! 
See   her  dodge   the   wakeful   cruiser's 

sweeping  eye. 
Hear  the  humming  !     Hear  her  coming  ! 

Coming  fast ! 
(That's  the  sound  might  make  men  wish 

they  were  at  home, 
Hear  the  rattling  Maxim,  barking  rapid 

fire), 
See  her  loom  out  through  the  fog  with 

bows  afoam ! 

Then  some  will  wish  for  land — 
They'd  be  sand  fleas  in  the  sand 

Or  yellow  grubs  reposing  in  the  loam. 

JAMES  BARNES, 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


411 


THE  MAN  \VKO  DOES  THE  CHEERIN'. 


war  with  Spain  reminds  me  o' 
the  Spring  o'  '61, 
About  the   time  or  jist  afore  the  Civil 

War  begun  ; 
A  certain  class  o'  heroes  ain't  remembered 

in  this  age, 
Yit  their  names   in  golden   letters  should 

be  writ  on  histry's  page. 
Their  voices  urged  on  others  to  save  this 

ol*  country's  fall; 
I  admit  they  never  listened  when  they 

heerd  Abe  Lincoln's  call; 
They  never  heerd  a  eagle  scream  er  heerd 

a  rifle  crack, 

But  you  bet  they  done  the  cheerin' 
When  the  troops  come  back. 

O'  course  it's  glorious  to  fight  when  free- 

dom is  at  stake, 
I  'low  a  feller  likes  to  know  that  he  hez 

helped  to  make 
Another  star  in  freedom's  sky  —  the  star 

o'  Cuby  —  free! 
But  still  another  feelin'  creeps  along  o' 

that  when  he 
Gits  to  thinkin'  o'  the  home  he  left  en 

seein'  it  at  night 
Dancin'  slowlike  up  aroun'  him  in  a  misty 

maze  o'  light. 
En  a-ketchin'  fleetin'  glimpses  of  a  crowd 

along  the  track, 

En  the  man  who  does  the  cheerin' 
When  the  troops  come  back. 

O'  course  a  soldier  hez  got  feelin's  en  his 

heart  begins  to  beat 
Faster,   ez  ol'    Reckollection    leads  him 

down  some  shady  street 
Where  he  knows  a  gal's  a-waitin'  under- 

neath a  creepin'  vine, 
Where  the  sun  is  kinder  cautious  'bout 

combatin'  with  the  shine 
In  her  eyes  —  en  jist    anuther  thing  that 

nuther  you  er  I 
Could  look  at  with  easy  feelin's  is  a  piece 

o'  pumpkin  pie 
That  hez  made  our  mothers  famous  —  but 

down  there  along  the  track 
Is  the  man  who  does  the  cheerin' 

When  the  troops  come  back, 


|  It's  jist  the  same  in  war  times  ez  in  com- 
mon ev'ry  day, 
When  a  feller  keeps  a-strugglin'  en  a-peg- 

gin'  on  his  way, 
He  likes  to  hev  somebody  con^  and  grab 

him  by  the  hand, 
En  say:    "OP  boy,  you'll  git  there  yit ; 

you've  got  the  grit  en  sand." 
It  does  him  good,  en  I  'low  that  it  doer: 

a  soldier,  too ; 
So  even  if  the  feller  at  the  track  don't 

wear  the  blue, 
He's  helped  save  bleedin'  Cuby  from  the 

tyrants  en  their  rack 
By  leadin'  in  the  cheerin' 

When  the  troops  come  back. 

EDWARD  SINGER. 

WRAP  THE  FLAG  AROUND  ME,  BOYS. 

OWRAP  the  flag  around  me,  boys,  to 
>     die  were  far  more  sweet, 
With  freedom's  starry  emblem,  boys,  to 

be  my  winding  sheet. 
In  life  I  loved  to  see  it  wave,  and  follow 

where  it  led, 

And  now  my  eyes  grow  dim,  my  hands 
would  clasp  its  last  bright  shred. 

CHORUS. 
Then  wrap  the  flag  around  me,  boys, 

To  die  were  far  more  sweet, 
With  freedom's  starry  emblem,  boys, 

To  be  my  winding  sheet. 

O,  I  had  thought  to  greet  you,  boys,  on 

many  a  well  won  field, 
When   to   our   starry  banner,  boys,   the 

trait*  rous  foe  should  yield. 
But  now,  alas,  I  am  denied  my  dearest 

earthly  prayer; 
You'll  follow  and  you'll  meet  the  foe,  but 

I  shall  not  be  there. 

But  though  my  body  moulders,  boys,  my 

spirit  will  be  free, 
And  every  comrade's   honor,  boys,  will 

still  be  dear  to  me. 
There  in  the  thick  and  bloody  fight  never 

let  your  ardor  lag, 
For  I'll  be  there  still  hovering  near,  above 

the  dear  old  flag. 


412 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


THE  ANGLO-AMERICAN  RACE. 

Dedicated  to  the  Albion  Society  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  St.  George. 

WE  are-one  in  the  bonds  of  progression, 
In  the  power  to  toil  and  to  fight, 
We  are  one  in  our  loathing  of  wrong, 
For  liberty,  honor  and  right. 

CHORUS. 
Then  hurrah  for  Peace  !  "but  if  foes  attack, 

Then  hurrah  for  the  troops  and  tars, 
Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  for  the  Union  Jack 

When  joined  with  the  Stripes  and  Stars  ! 

We  are  one  in  our  laws  and  our  language. 

We   are   one   in  our  thought   and  our 

song, 
We  are  one  in  our  hatred  of  traitors, 

We  are  one  in  our  loathing  of  wrong. 

CHORUS. 
Then  hurrah  for  Peace  !  but  if  /oes  unite, 

Gainst  the  world  we  will  not  turn  back: 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  shall  win  the  fight, 

When  joined  with  the  Union  Jack ! 

We  have  cheered  for  each  other  in  triumph, 

We  have  wept  for  each  other  in  vain. 
We  have  quarreled  and  battled  together; 

We  are  friends  and  as  friends  shall  re- 
main. 

CHORUS. 
Then  hurrah  for  Peace  !  but  if  foes  attack* 

Then  hurrah  for  the  troops  and  tars  ! 
Hurrah  !   hurrah  !  for  the  Union  Jack, 

When  joined  with  the  Stripes  and  Stars! 

We  shall  not  be  parted,  my  brothers, 
Till   the  Rockies  descend   frc/m   their 
place. 

It  is  born — The  new  Union  forever ! 
The  Anglo-American  Race ! 

CHORUS. 
Then  hurrah  for  Peace!  but  if  foes  unite, 

'  Gainst  the  world  we  will  not  turn  back: 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  shall  win  the  fight, 

When  joined  with  the  Union  Jack. 


A  STIRRUP  CUP. 
A  Song  for  the  War  Correspondent. 

A  HEALTH  all  round  ere  the  last  bell 
rings, 

Ere  the  signals  shift  and  the  whistle  sings; 
There's  a  moment  yet   while   the   trains 

delay, 
We've  turned  life  loose  on  the  world  to^ 

day! 

On  an  unknown  quest  for  East  or  West, 
East  or  West  on  the  unknown  way. 

For   some  went  South  when  the  Cuban 
rose, 

And   some   turned   north   to   the  Yukon 
snows. 

By  sledge  or  steamer,  by  mail  or  freight, 

From  the  Kourd  Kabul   to    the  Golden 

Gate, 

We've  gone  the  rounds  of  the  world- 
wide bounds, 

From  the  Hoang-Ho  to  Magellan  Strait. 

We   stood   by  the   guns   when    the  impi 
broke, 

And  the  field  glass  strained  through  the 
whirling  smoke ; 

We  scrawled  the  dispatch  by  the  thorn- 
bush  fire, 

Then  a  hundred    miles  to  the  telegraph 

wire ! 
A  ride  by  night,  from  the  field  of  fight, 

A  rattling  scoop  or  an  Angel  Choir! 

When    the  bucks   broke  loose   from  the 

tribe  reserve, 
We  sketched  the  scalping,  and  saw  theS* 

s  \verve 
When  the  pistols  cracked  and    the  rush 

was  stayed 

By  the  crackling  line  of  the  News  Brigade 
Up  the  Peace  with  the  Plains  Police- 
In  the  Alkali  hell  our  bones  are  laid. 

The  big  gong  clangs  from  the  depot  wall ; 
The  whistles  shriek  and  the  signals  fall ; 
Around  the  curve  and  along  the  bay — 
We're  out  once  more  on  the  open  way. 

East  or  West,  or  cursed  or  blessed, 
We've  turned  life  loose  on  the  world  to- 
day. FRANK  L,  POLLOCK, 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


KING  WHEAT. 

YOU  may  tell  of  your  armored  cruis- 
ers 

And  your  great  ships  of  the  line; 
And  swift  or  slow  may  steamers  go 

Across  the  billowy  brine. 
Like  thunder  may  the  cannon  boom 

To  greet  their  flags  unfurled, 
And  for  an  hour  they  may  have  power 
To  rule  the  frightened  world. 

From  ocean  shore  to  ocean  shore 

Lie  lines  of  gleaming  steel, 
And  night  and  day  we  hear  alway 

The  ring  of  rushing  wheel ; 
Though  buffalo  have  left  the  plain, 

And  Indian  tents  are  furled, 
Nor  steam    nor   hand   at    wealth's  com- 
mand 

Can  rule  the  busy  world, 

But  where  the  hillside  rises  fair 

In  terraces  of  green, 
And  on  the  plain,  where  wind  and  rain 

Sweep  fields  of  golden  sheen, 
Where  sturdy  yellow  stalks  arise, 

With  bannered  heads  unfurled, 
Here    you    may    greet    the   Great   King 
Wheat, 

The  ruler  of  the  world. 

Oh,  hills  may  shake  and  vales  resound 

Beneath  the  flying  car, 
And  driven  by  steam  and  winds  a-beam 

Our  ships  ride  fast  and  far; 
Cities  may  crumble  'neath  the  guns 

Which  guard  our  flag  unfurled, 
Yet  all  shall  greet — at  last — King  Wheat, 

For  hunger  rules  the  world. 

NINETTE  M.  LOWATER. 

HOSANNAH  AND   HUZZAH. 

ERE  ever  the  guns  are  silenced ; 
Ere  ever  the  mandate,  Peace ! 
Shall  fall  on  the  raging  nations, 

Shall  bid  all  their  warfare  cease ; 
Ere  ever  the  lamb  in  slumber 

Lies  safe  'neath  the  lion's  paw, 
We  will  cry  to  the  East  ;   Hosannah! 
We  will  call  to  the  West :  Huzzah ! 


A  hymn  to  the  God  of  Battles, 

Who  giveth  the  conq'ring  sword, 
Who  harks  to  the  cry  for  justice, 

Who  bends  for  the  weak  one's  word; 
A  hymn  for  the  grandest  triumph, 

E'er  given  the  world  to  cheer, 
We  will  lift  that  the  East  may  hearken, 

We  will  sing  that  the  West  may  hear. 

Far  over  the  waving  banners 

The  foundry's  flame-plumes  swirl; 
And  over  the  stoker  blazons 

The  flag  which  we  helped  unfurl, 
But  if  o'er  our  hearthstone  hovers 

The  glory  of  sacrifice — 
We  will  make  to  the  East  no  meanings, 

We  will  make  to  the  West  no  cries. 

The  fires  of  conquest  kindle ; 

The  clang  of  our  sword  sounds  far; 
The  lion  purs  as  he  watches 

His  whelp  at  the  game  of  war. 
But  ere  we  forget  in  our  triumph, 

And  lest  we  grow  faint  in  our  cause, 
We  will  ccy  to  the  East  Hosannas, 

We  will  shout  to  the  West  Huzzahs. 
GRACE  DUFFIE  BOYLAN. 

A  SONG  OF  PEACE. 

PEACE  in  the  sunlight,  and  peace  in 
the  rain ; 
Peace  where  in  meadows  the  wild  doves 

complain ; 
Peace  on  the  fields  that  were  red  with  the 

slain — 
Peace  in  God's  country  forever ! 

Peace  where  the  great  ships  have  roared 

with  their  guns — 
Where  the  battle-smoke  darkened  all  stars 

and  all  suns, 

Peace  in  the  hearts  of  the  patriot  ones- 
Peace  in  God's  country  forever  ! 

Peace,  where  no  lightnings  from  heaven 

are  hurled ; 
Where  the  loved  flag  of  freedom  forever's 

unfurled — 

Where  the  red  stripes  of  glory  shall  gar- 
land the  world — 
Peace  in  God's  country  forever  ! 

F.  L.  STANTON. 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAR. 


A  CENTURY  OF  PEACE. 

A  CENTURY  of  peace  has  dawned; 
the  North  and  South  are  plighted, 
And  all  their  lovers'  quarrels  have  been 

forever  righted. 
There  is  no  North  there  is  no  South,  no 

Johnny  Reb  to  bandy  ; 
No  feud,  no  scores  to  settle  up — no  Yan- 
kee Doodle  Dandy. 

What   have  we,  then?     A  land  serene, 

united,  heart-to-hand,  sir. 
Which,   like   a   sum   of   numbers,  never 

yields  but  one  true  answer. 
Who  have  we,  then,  in  this  great  land, 

above  its  bonded  boodle, 
With  Northern  pluck  and  Southern  nerve  ? 

His  name  is  Dixie  Doodle ! 

Then  hip,  hurrah  !  for  this  brave  youth, 
unbought  of  bond  or  boodle — 

The  conqueror  of  future  worlds — the  grow- 
ing Dixie  Doodle ! 

WHEN  DEWEY  COMES  BACK. 

THEY  say  that  Dewey's  coming  back 
To  take  a  short  vacation, 
And  when  he  does  there'll  surely  be 

A  lot  of  jubilation. 
For  everybody  in  the  land, 

From  youngest  to  the  oldest, 
Will  rush  to  see  the  hero  who 
Is  reckoned  as  the  boldest. 

They  want  to  see  the  man  who  led 

His  fleet  where  dangers  bristled, 
And  who  was  coolest  when  he  stood 

Where  Spanish  missiles  whistled; 
The  man  who  bravely  sailed  where  Dons 

Had  big  torpedoes  scattered, 
Who  banged  away  until  their  ships 

To  pieces  he  had  battered. 

Yes,  he's  the  man  they  want  to  see, 

And  far  they'll  go  to  meet  him ; 
They'll  strain  their  eyes  as  he  draws  near, 

And  joyfully  they'll  greet  him. 
The  women,  too,  will  all  turn  out, 

The  matrons  and  the  misses, 
And  all  the  pretty  girls  will  try 

To  favor  him  with  kisses. 


|  Upon  him  then  will  be  conferred 

The  freedom  of  the  cities, 
|  And  every  band  in  every  town 
Will  play  its  choicest  ditties. 
Each  orator  will  hail  him  with 

Most  eloquent  expressions, 

And  all  the  citizens  w:U  join 

In  forming  big  processions. 

Long  pent  up  joy  will  then  break  loose, 

And  like  a  flood  go  sweeping, 
And  on  Manila's  hero  then 

All  honors  we'll  be  heaping. 
Yes,  when  brave  Dewey  comes  back  home 

There'll  be  a  grand  ovation, 
For  he's  the  darling  and  the  pride 

Of  all  this  mighty  nation. 

RED,  WHITE  AND  BLUE. 

Red- 
High  overhead 
Sparkles  the  banner  of  Mars  1 

Red— 

Under  the  tread 
Poppies  asleep  'neath  the  stars  I 

Blue — 

— Steadfast  and  true 
Bends  the  wide  arch  of  the  sky  I 

Blue— 

Tenderest  hue — 
Chosen  of  violets  shy. 

White— 

Shineth  the  right, 
Until  the  struggle  shall  cease! 

— Pure  as  the  light, 
Blossom  the  lilies  of  peace. 

JENNIE  BETIS  HARTSWICK. 

TWO  FLAGS. 

OLD  flag  of  the  "  far  flung  battle  line," 
New  flag  of  the  "  noble,  free.  " 
Twain  in  stress  of  a  vanishing  time, 
One  in  the  glory  to  be. 

The  same  tints  stream  from  your  ^learning 

folds, 

Your  symbols  alike  ye  drew 
Whence  meteors  flash,  and  planet  holds 
I      High  court  in  the  vaulted  blue. 


POETRY  OF  THE  WAit 


415 


Over  the  same  proud  race  unfurled, 
Race  of  the  stern  shibboleth ; 

Ever  tyranny  hellward  be  hurled, 
Liberty  give  us,  or  death  ! 

Where  Freedom  beckons  on  foam  or  field, 

Alike  ye  flame  in  the  van ; 
And  cross  or  star  on  each  azure  shield 

Flash  signals  of  hope  to  man. 

Entwine,  and  peace  comes  to  the  ages, 
Light  to  the  regions  of  gloom, 

The  triumph  of  hopes  of  the  sages — 
Deserts  turned  gardens  of  bloom. 

Dark  counsels  be  banished  forever, 
Where  mouthing  malice  is  rife, 

Be  palsied  the  hand  that  would  sever 
Or  dash  thee  together  in  strife. 

Hail,  flag  of  the  "far-flung  battle  line;  " 
Hail,  flag  of  the  "  noble,  free  !  " 

Twain  in  stress  of  a  vanishing  time, 
One  in  the  glory  to  be. 

JOHN  BROGAN. 

AT  THE  FAREWELL. 

LET  the  starry  banners  fly  ! 
While  our  boys  go  marching  by, 
While  there  are,  beneath  the  folds 
Of  the  flag  the  sergeant  holds, 
Many  faces  we  hold  dear — 
Many  kindred  we  revere. 

Let  the  starry  banners  fly  ! 
For  their  reflex  in  the  eye 
Of  each  shouting  follower  of 
Those  the  ensign  waves  above ; 
Is  a  picture  good  to  see 
In  our  Nation's  history  ! 

Let  the  starry  banners  fly  ! 
Wealth  of  gold  could  never  buy 
Bunting  bathed  in  holier  red, 
Than  the  blood  our  sires  have  shed  ! 
Let  the  sacred  banners  fly — 
They  have  worshipers  on  High. 

Let  the  gleaming  banners  fly  i 
For  no  stars  in  yonder  sky 
Shine  more  brightly  in  the  night 
Than  our  galaxy  of  white, 
Set  in  field  of  color  true 
To  the  tint  of  heaven's  blue. 


Then  let  every  banner  fly 
While  our  boys  go  marching  by  I 
Let  their  last  fond  glimpse  of  us 
See  Old  Glory  hovering  thus 
O'er  our  heads — the  scene  will  glow 
In  their  hearts  where'er  they  go  ! 

Let  them  see  as  they  pass  by 
That  we  hate  to  say  good-bye — 
That  we  love  them  as  they  face 
Duty's  call,  with  patriot  grace, 
And — that  we  they  leave  behind 
Are  the  patriotic  kind  ! 

JOAN  FORD  LEFLER. 

A  BALLAD  OF  BLUE-JACKETS. 

THE  Don  had  his  will  with  the  Maine! 
He  set  off  his  mine  with  a  roar, 
He  quaffed  to  our  dead  his  champagne, 
And  laughed  till  his  sides  were  sore, 
And  now  he  must  settle  the  score, 
And  pay  for  his  sport,  as  is  right. 

Our  navy  is  brave  as  of  yore, 
And  Yankee  blue-jackets  can  fight. 

Perhaps  we  are  not  in  the  vein — 

We  pigs,  as  he's  called  us  before — 
To  laugh  at  our  sailor  boys  slain, 

And  so  his  brave  joke  we  deplore. 

But  flashing  a  bolt  from  the  shore 
And  sinking  a  ship  in  the  night 

Was  murder,  our  blue  jackets  swore,— 
And  Yankee  blue-jackets  can  fight. 

Our  guns  at  Manila  spoke  plain, 

And  sharp  was  the  message  they  bore, 

As  swift  through  the  squadron  of  Spain 
Our  death-dealing  hurricane  tore ; 
As,  riddled  and  rent  to  the  core, 

Each  cruiser  plunged  down  out  of  sight. 
"One  more  for  our  sailors  i  one"  more  !  w 

And  Yankee  blue-jackets  can  fight. 

ENVOY. 

Alfonzo,  just  add  to  your  store 
Of  learning,  this  sentiment  trite, 

Remember  the  war  isn't  o'er, 

And  Yankee  blue-jackets  can  fight. 

JOE  LINCOLN. 


416 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


••  'WAY  UP  ALOFT." 

SAW   you  the   ship  when   it  left  our 
shore, 

And  vanished  over  the  blue  sea-line, 
To  seek  an  anchorage,  safe,  once  more 

And  find  a  port  on  the  watery  brine  ? 
Drilled  by  officers,  true  to  their  call, 

Manned  by  a  sturdy,  stalwart  crew, 
While,  waving  protectingly  over  them  all, 
Floated  the  red,  white  and  blue ! 
'  Way  up  aloft ! 

Oh,  ship  that  left  such  a  shining  track, 
As  she  dipped  her  keel  in  the  ocean's 

foam  ; 
Never  again  will  she  voyage  back 

To  the  weary,  waiting  ones  at  home ! 
She  foundered  not  on  the  sandy  shoals, 

She  struck  no  rock  in  a  treacherous  sea, 
But  she  sank,  with  her  freight  of  human 

souls, 
In  a  harbor's  sheltering  lee  I 

Oh,  ship,  no  more  will  your  sailors  leap 

To  answer  their  captain's  clarion  call, 
The  jolly  tars  stern  silence  keep 

With  the  waves  for  their  funeral  pall  ! 
For  while  they  slumbered,  a  cruel  blast 

Sundered  the  strong-girt  deck  in  twain, 
Rent  and  shivered  the  bulwarks  vast, 

Of  our  gallant  battleship  Maine! 

Oh,  ship,  that  swept  from  our  sight  so 

fast, 
Answering  the  touch  of  the  helmsman's 

hand, 
Only  to  lose  all  your  cargo  at  last, 

And  find  your  grave  in  a  foreign  land. 
Remember   the   Maine !    Wipe   out   the 

debt! 
While   children   cry    and   the  widows 

weep, 

Shall  we,  as  a  nation,  so  soon  forget 
The  spot  where  our  sailors  sleep  I 

Oh,  mariners,  man  your  ships  of  war, 
And  speed,  swift,  over  the  outstretched 
sea; 

Chart  your  course  by  humanity's  law 
And  make  your  soundings  for  liberty: 

The  compass  points  with  hand  so  sure 
To  justice  for  those,  our  nation's  dead  ; 

With  God  for  our  pilot — a  purpose,  pure, 


And  our  loved  flag  overhead ! 
'Way  up  aloft ! 

ANNA  B.  PATTEN. 

THOSE  WHO  GO  FORTH  TO  BATTLE. 

"  In  Rama  was  there  a  voice  heard, 
Rachel  weeping  for  her  children." 

I   AM  but  one  of  the  many — the  mothers 
who  weep  and  who  mourn 
For  the  dear  sons  slain  in  the  battle.  Oh  ! 

burden  of  sorrow  borne 
At  the  thought  of  their  needed  comforts, 

their  hardships  along  the  way ! 
But  we  prayed  to  Thee,  loving  Father,  to 

sustain  them  day  by  day ; 
Now  our  hearts  are  dumb  in  our  anguish, 

and  our  lips  refuse  to  pray. 

They  are  slain  in  the  cruel  battle,  the  pit- 
iless chance  of  war  ! 

From  the  homes  that  they  were  the  light 
of,  from  those  that  they  loved  afar, 

With  no  mother-kisses  to  soothe  them,  no 
ministry  of  loving  hand  ! 

Eut  'tis  well  with  them,  now  and  forever, 
for  they  live  in  the  "better  land," 

Where  Thy  peace  shall  abide  forever,  and 
never  an  armed  band. 

For  they  were  Thy  heroes,  dear  Father ; 
they  fell  as  Thy  heroes  fall, 

And  loyal,  and  true,  and  undaunted,  they 
answered  their  country's  call; 

They  laid  their  young  lives  on  her  altar, 
for  her  will  their  blood  was  shed  ; 

And  now  there  is  naught  that  can  com- 
fort the  mothers  whose  hearts  have 
bled 

For  the  sons  who  went  to  the  battle,  by 
the  chance  of  the  battle  dead. 

O !  God,  Thou  hast  tender  pity,  and  love 
for  the  broken  in  heart, 

But  not  even  Thou  can'st  comfort,  for 
there  is  no  comfort  apart 

From  the  son  who  went  out  from  my  cling- 
ing :  O  God,  I  cry  to  Thee ! 

I  grope  in  the  darkness  to  clasp  him — 
that  darkness  that  hides  from  me 

The  sight  of  Thy  hand,  dear  Father! 
though  outstretched  to  comfort  it 
be. 

ISIDOR  D.  FRENCH. 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


417 


PICTURE  OF  WAR. 

SPIRIT  of  light  and  life!  when  battle 
rears 

Her  fiery  brow  and  her  terrific  spears  ! 

When  red-mouthed  cannon  to  the  clouds 
uproar, 

And  gasping  thousands  make  their  beds  in 
gore, 

While  on  the  billowy  bosom  of  the  air 

Roll  the  dead  notes  of  anguish  and  des- 
pair ! 

Unseen,  thou  walk'st  upon  the  smoking 
plain, 

And  hear'st  each  groan  that  gurgles  from 
the  slain  ! 

List  !  war  peals  thunder  on  the  battle- 
field, 

And  many  a  hand  grasps  firm  the  glitter- 
ing shield, 

As  on,  with  helm  and  plume,  the  warriors 

j-  come, 

And  the  glad  hills  repeat  their  stormy 
drum ! 

And  now  are  seen  the  youthful  and  the 
gray, 

With  bosoms  firing  to  partake  the  fray ; 

The  first,  with  hearts  that  consecrate  the 
deed, 

All  eager  rush  to  vanquish  or  to  bleed  ! 

Like  young  waves  racing  in  the  morning 
sun, 

That  rear  and  leap  with  reckless  fury  on  ! 

But  mark  yon  war-worn  man,  who  looks 

on  high, 
With  thought  and  valor  mirrored  in  his 

eye! 

Not  all  the  gory  revels  of  the  day 
Can  fright  the  vision  of  his  home  away; 
The  home  of  love,  and  its  associate  smiles, 
His   wife's   endearment,   and  his   baby's 

wiles : 
Fights  he  less  brave  through  recollected 

bliss, 

With  step  retreating,  or  with  sword  remiss? 
Ah  no  !  remembered  home's  the  warrior's 

charm, 

Speed  to  his  sword,  and  vigor  to  his  arm; 
For  this  he  supplicates  the  God  afar, 
Fronts  the  steeled  foe,  and  mingles  in  the 

war  ! 

27-D 


The  cannon's  hushed  ! — nor  drum,  nor 

clarion  sound: 
Helmet   and    hauberk    gleam    upon    the 

ground ; 
Horseman  and  horse  lie  weltering  in  their 

gore; 
Patriots  are  dead,   and    heroes    dare   no 

more ; 
While  solemnly  the   moonlight    shrouds 

the  plain, 
And  lights  the  lurid  features  of  the  slain  ! 

And  see  !  on  this  rent  mound,  where 
daisies  sprung, 

A  battle  steed  beneath  his  rider  flung  ; 

Oh  !  never  more  he'll  rear  with  fierce  de- 
light, 

Roll  his  red  eyes,  and  rally  for  the  fight ! 

Pale  on  his  bleeding  breast  the  warrior 
lies, 

While  from  his  ruffled  lids  the  white- 
swelled  eyes 

Ghastly  and  grimly  stare  upon  the  skies  ! 

Afar,  with  bosom  bared  unto  the  breeze, 
White  lips,  and  glaring  eyes,  and  shiver- 
ing knees, 

A  widow  o'er  her  martyred  soldier  moans, 
Loading    the  night-winds  with  delirious 

groans ! 
Her  blue-eyed  babe,  unconscious  orphan 

he! 

So  sweetly  prattling  in  his  cherub  glee, 
Leers  on  his  lifeless  sire  with  infant  wile, 
And  plays  and  plucks  him  for  a  parent's 
smile ! 

But  who,  upon  the  battle-wasted  plain, 
Shall  count  the  faint,  the  gasping,  and  the 

slain  ? 
Angel   of   Mercy !    ere   the    blood-fount 

chill, 
And    the   brave   heart   be  spiritless   and 

still, 

Amid  the  havoc  thou  art  hovering  nigh, 
To  calm  each  groan,  and  close  each  dy- 
ing eye, 

And  waft  the  spirit  to  that  halcyon  shore, 
Where  war's  loud  thunders  lash  the  winds 
no  more  ! 

ROBERT  MONTGOMERY. 


413 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


PATRIOTS  AND  PIRATES. 

WE  praise  the  heroes  of  a  long-dead 
time, 

The  Spartan  or  the  Roman  or  the  Gaui, 
We  flatter  in  oration  or  in  rhyme 

The  dusty  corpses  deaf  and  dumb  to  ail. 
But  here  we  find  beside  our  very  door 
True  heroes  who  are  battling  for  the 

right- 
True  heroes,  brave  as  any  braves  of  yore, 
True    heroes,   targets   of  the   tyrant's 
might. 

We  prate  of  wrongs  our  own  forefathers 

felt, 
But  these  have  suffered  more  a  thousand 

fold: 
We  boast  of  brave  blows  those  forefathers 

dealt, 
But  unto  these,  our  neighhors,  we  are 

cold. 

We  sigh  for  sufferings  of  the  ancient  years, 
While  men  to-day  are  tortured,  hanged 

and  shot, 
While    starving    babes  and  women  shed 

their  tears, 

And  while  this   island  Eden  seems  a 
blot. 

Like    gaping    listeners   at   some   passing 

show, 

Who  melt  with  pity  at  an  actor's  tears, 

Applauding,  bent  with  passion  to  and  fro 

At  glimpses  of  fictitious  hopes  and  fears. 

So  we  have  sighed  and  sobbed  for  other 

times, 
Mourned    over    urns,    hissed    tyrants 

turned  to  clay, 
Yet  idly  watched  the  century's  crown  of 

crimes 

And  saw  true  heroes  die  like  dogs  to- 
day. 

Strange,   that  a  people  once  themselves 

oppressed, 
Heed  not  the  patriots   fighting  to  be 

free; 
Strange,  they  who   braved   the   Briton's 

lion  crest, 
Should  let  a  murderous  pirate  braggart 

be! 

O,   shame    too    great   for  puny   human 
words, 


When  gold  and  silver  rule  the  tongue 

and  pen ! 

The  eagle  in  the  air  is  king  of  birds, 
The  eagle  on  the  dollar  king  of  men! 

O  Cuba,  as  in  stories  of  the  past, 

Transcendent  beauty  brought  transcen- 
dent woe, 

Thou,  in  thy  peerless  loveliness  at  last, 
Hast  seen  thy  queenly  glories  sinking 

low. 

When  Elsa,  slandered,  breathed  her  fer- 
vent prayer, 
There  came  her  true  knight  of  the  holy 

grail ; 
But  no   true  knight  will   heed  thy  deep 

despair 
And  hasten  with  a  swan  wing  for  a  sail. 

Ah,  yes,  at  last  it  comes — the  swan,  the 

swan  ! 

O,  fairest  lady,  see  thy  true  knight  here! 
With  white  wings  fluttering  in  the  roseate 

dawn, 
His  bark  shall  blanch  thy  tyrant's  cheek 

with  fear. 

Before  the  fast  feet  of  the  northern  gale 
He   comes  to    face    thy  false  accuser, 

Spain ; 

O,  fairest  lady,  dream  no  more  of  fail ; 
Those  heroes,  Cuba,  have  not  died  in 
vain. 

WAR. 

WHAT  worse,  you  ask,  than  useless 
war — 

Sunk  ships,  stormed  cities,  States  down- 
hurled — 

The  thunderous  hammer-strokes  of  Thor 
That  crash  the  rock-ribs  of  the  world? 

What  worse  than  horrid  war?    O  cease 
The  coward  cry ;  is  not  the  curse 

Of  vile  and  ignominious  peace, 

Bought  with  the  price  of  honor,  worse) 

What  worse  than  war?     A  sullied  fame  ; 

The  scoff  of  heroes  and  the  scorn 
Of  history  and  song  ;  the  shame — 

The  taint — corrupting  sons  unborn. 

Better  is  war  than  sordid  gain 

Wrung  from  the  servile;  better  far 


POETRY   OF   THE   WAR. 


419 


Than  manhood  lost  and  virtue  slain, 
Is  war,  war,  everlasting  war ! 

Alas !  I,  too,  lament  the  woe 

That  war  must  bring — the  blood,  the 

tears ; 
Yet  Right,  to  vanquish  Wrong,  I  know 

Must  oft  beat  pruning- hooks  to  spears. 

When  fallen  Liberty's  sweet  breast 

Throbs  bare  below  the  Spaniard's  knife, 

Pause  not  to  drool  of  worst  or  best — 
First  save  the  bleeding  victim's  life. 

Two  strokes  sublime  Columbia's  hand 
Hath  dealt  in  war — one  stroke  to  save 

From  foreign  sway  our  native  land — 
One  stroke  to  free  the  negro  slave. 

Now,  once  again  the  great  sword  awes 
The  despot — flames  o'er  land  and  sea — 

A  volunteer  in  Cuba's  cause; 
Spain  falls,  and  Cuba  rises,  free  ! 

W.  H.  YEN  ABLE. 

AMERICA  SHALL  BE  FREE. 

EACH  patriot  heart  to-day  is  thrilled, 
Each  cry  of  conscience  now  is  stilled, 
For  Cuba's  rights  the  nation  spoke, 
And  at  the  word  the  Spanish  yoke 
That  wet  with  blood  had  come  to  be, 
Fell,  riven,  from  a  people  free. 

No  more  as  slaves  shall  Cuba's  fair 
In  cringing  aspect  tremble  there 
Before  those  despots  harsh  and  rude, 
Who  pitied  none,  whose  souls  so  crude 
They  cared  for  naught  but  Castile's  lust, 
Though  humbling  millions  low  in  dust. 

Lead  on,  ye  sons  of  freedom's  birth, 
Till  every  soul  around  the  earth 
Shall  breathe  the  air  as  free  as  we, 
Aad  serve  no  master  save  but  He 
Who  rules  the  universe  from  high, 
And  loveth  all  beneath  the  sky. 

No  higher  mission  binds  us  here ; 
Firm  in  the  right,  we  know  not  fear. 
In  justice'  name  we  launch  our  boats, 
In  freedom's  cause  our  flag  e'er  floats. 
Each  shot  that  leaves  the  cannon's  mouth, 
In  echoes  wide  from  north  to  south, 
Proclaims  to  all,  from  sea  to  sea, 
America  shall  all  be  free. 


THE  STORY  OF  A  DRUM. 

A  REGIMENT  in  motion  and  the  rat 
tie  of  a  drum, 

With  a  rat,  tat,  tat !  and  rat,  tat  turn  ! 
Fear  is  on  the  face  of  some, 
Others  stopping  with  aplomb  : 
And  steady  is  the  patter  and  the  clatte/ 
ot  the  drum. 

Sweeping  lines  in  evolution,  fast  the  wheel- 
ing columns  come ; 
And  a  thousand  men  are  stepping  to  the 

tapping  of  the  drum  ! 
There  are  countenances  glum, 
There  are  senses  dull  and  numb, 
But  a  boy  is  stepping  proudly  there,  he's 
playing  on  the  drum. 

The  rage  and  roar  of  battle,  and  the  rattle 

of  a  drum, 
The  shrapnel  shot  are  flying  with  a  zip ! 

and  a  zum  ! 

Cruel  shells  exploding  come, 
And  the  bullets  hiss  and  hum, 
But  a  drum  still  echoes  loudly.     Will  the 
thing  be  never  mum  ? 

Darkness  on  the  field  of  battle,  where  the 

body  seekers  come  ! 

The  storm  of  death  is  ended,  and  dis- 
played the  struggle's  sum — 
A  pallid  face,  a  drum  ; 
There  is  blood,  and  both  are  dumb. 
A  story  of  a  drummer  and  a  story  of  a 
drum.  T.  E   McGRATH. 

DEWEY'S  COMING. 

THEY  say  that  Dewey's  comin* ;  that'i 
the  word  from  lips  to  lips  ! 
I'm  talkin'  'bout  the  feller  that  sunk  all 

the  Spanish  ships 
In   the   far   Manila  harbor  !     An',  good 

folks,  when  Dewey  comes, 
There'll  be  blowin'  of  the  bugles,  there'll 
be  beatin'  of  the  drums  ! 

They  say  that  Dewey's  comin'  ;  he's  the 

feller  that  we  like  ! 
He  knew  when  all  the  tempest  told  the 

lightnin'  where  to  strike  ! 
He   knew   the    very  moment    when    the 

thunder  beat  its  drums, 
And  we'll  blow  the  sweetest  bugles  when 

Mister  Dewey  conies  J 


420 


POETRY   OF  THE  WAR. 


THE  SOLDIER'S  DREAM. 

OUR  bugles  sang  truce  ;  for  the  night- 
cloud  had  lowered, 
And  the  sentinel  stars  set  their  watch 

in  the  sky ; 
And  thousands  had  sunk  on  the  ground 

overpowered — 

The  weary  to  sleep,  and   the  wounded 
to  die. 

"When  reposing  that  night   on  my  pallet 

of  straw, 
By  the  wolf-scaring  fagot  that  guarded 

the  slain, 
At  the  dead  of  the  night  a  sweet  vision  I 

saw, 

And  thrice  ere  the  morning  I  dreamt 
it  again. 

Methought  from  the  battle-field's  dread- 
ful array 
Far,  far  I  had  roamed  on   a  desolate 

track : 
'Twas  Autumn — and  sunshine  arose  on 

the  way 

To  the  home  of  my  fathers,  that  wel- 
comed me  back. 

I  flew  to  the  pleasant  fields,  traversed  so 

oft 
In    life's    morning    march,   when    my 

bosom  was  young ; 
I  heard  my  own  mountain-goats  bleating 

aloft, 

And  knew  the  sweet   strain    that    the 
corn-reapers  sung. 

Then  pledged    we    the    wine  cup,    and 

fondly  I  swore 
From  my  home  and  my  weeping  friends 

never  to  part : 
My  little  ones  kissed  me  a  thousand  times 

o'er, 

And  my  wife  sobbed  aloud  in  her  ful- 
ness of  heart. 

Stay,  stay  with  us  ! — rest ;  thou  art  weary 

and  worn  ! — 
And  fain  was  their  war-broken  soldier 

to  stay ; 
Out  sorrow  returned  with  the  dawning  of 

morn, 


And  the   voice   in  my   dreaming   eat 
melted  away. 

THOMAS   CAMPBELL. 

THE  BABY  AND  THE  SOLDIERS. 

ROUGH  and  ready  the  troopers  ride, 
Great  bearded  men,  with  swords  by 
side; 

They  have  ridden  long,  they  have  ridden 
hard, 

They  are  travel-stained  and  battle-scarred ; 

The  hard  ground  shakes  with  their  mar- 
tial tramp, 

And  coarse  is  the  laugh  of  the  men  in 
camp. 

They  reach   the  spot  where  the  mother 

stands 

With  a  baby  clapping  its  little  hands, 
Laughing  aloud  at  the  gallant  sight 
Of  the  mounted  soldiers  fresh  from  the 

fight. 
The  Captain  laughs  out :   "  I'll  give  you 

this, 
A  handful  of  gold,  your  baby  to  kiss." 

Smiles  the  mother :  "  A  kiss  can't  be  sold, 
But  gladly  he'll  kiss  a  soldier  bold." 
He  lifts  the  baby  with  manly  grace 
And  covers  with  kisses  its  smiling  face, 
Its  rosy  lips  and  its  dimpled  charms, 
And  it  crows  with  delight  in  the  soldier's 
arms. 

"Not   all  for  the  Captain,"  the  soldiers 

call; 

"The  baby,  we  know,  has  one  for  all." 
To  the  soldiers'  breasts  the  baby  is  pressed 
By  the  strong,  rough  men,  and  by  turns 

caressed, 

And  louder  it  laughs,  and  the  mother  fair, 
Smiles  with  mute  joy  as  the  kisses  they 

share. 

"  Just  such  a  kiss,"  cries  one  trooper  grim, 
"  When  I  left  my  boy  I  gave  to  him; " 
"And  just  such  a  kiss  on  the  parting  day 
I  gave  to  my  girl  as  asleep  she  lay." 
Such  were  the  words  of  the  soldiers  brave, 
And  their  eyes  were  moist  as  the  kiss  they 
gave. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Story  of   Dewey's    Great  Victory  Told   in   Official  Reports 
of  Our  Naval  Commanders. 

HE  men  who  did  the  fighting  are  the  best  men  to  tell  the  story  ell 
it.  They  were  in  the  battle ;  they  were  targets  for  the  enemy  • 
they  knew  and  watched  every  movement  in  the  stupendous  tragedy ; 
they  make  no  statements  that  are  overdrawn,  nor  do  they  exag- 
gerate the  grand  achievements  of  our  fleet.  In  the  official  reports  of  the 
captains  of  our  ships  we  have  a  clear,  concise  statement  of  facts,  free  from 
all  embellishment,  yet  eloquent  and  soul-stirring. 

Very  properly  these  reports  begin  with  that  of  Captain  Gridley,  Com- 
mander of  Admiral  Dewey's  Flagship,  the  Olympia.  It  is  directed  to  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  Asiatic  Station. 

Report  of  Captain  Gridley  of  the  Olympia. 

U.  S.  FLAGSHIP  OLYMPIA, 
Off  Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  May  3,  1898. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of  this  ship's  engage* 
ment  with  the  enemy  on  May  i: 

On  April  30,  we  stood  down  for  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay.  At  9.42 
P.M.  the  crew  were  called  to  general  quarters  (the  ship  having  been  previously 
cleared  for  action)  and  remained  by  their  guns,  ready  to  return  the  fire  of  the 
batteries  if  called  upon. 

At  about  11.30  P.M.  we  passed  through  Boca  Grande  entrance  of  Manila 
Bay.  The  lights  on  Corregidor  and  Cabalio  islands  and  on  San  Nicolas 
Banks  were  extinguished.  After  this  ship  had  passed  in  the  battery  on  the 
southern  shore  of  entrance  opened  fire  at  the  ships  astern,  and  the  McCul- 
loch  and  the  Boston  returned  the  fire. 

At  4  A.M.  of  May  I,  coffee  was  served  out  to  officers  and  men.  At  day- 
break sighted  shipping  at  Manila.  Shifted  course  to  southward  and  stood  for 
Cavite.  At  5.06  two  submarine  mines  were  exploded  near  Cavite  bearing 
south-southeast,  distant  4  miles.  At  5.15  battery  on  Shangly  Point  opened 
fire,  but  the  shell  fell  short.  Other  shells  passed  over  us,  ranging  7  miles.' 
At  5.41  A.M.  we  opened  fire  on  Spanish  ships  with  forward  8-inch  guns,  which 
were  soon  followed  by  the  5-inch  battery.  A  rapid  fire  was  kept  up  until  the 
close  of  the  action.  The  range  varied  from  5,600  to  2,000  yards, 

421 


422         OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF  NAVAL   COMMANDERS. 

A  torpedo  boat  ran  out  and  headed  for  this  ship,  but  was  finally  driven 
back  by  our  secondary  battery.  She  came  out  a  second  time  and  was  again 
repulsed.  This  time  she  had  to  be  beached,  as  several  shot  had  hit  her.  Bat- 
teries from  Manila  fired  occasional  shots  at  the  ships  during  the  action,  but 
did  no  damage. 

At  6.20  turned  to  starboard  and  headed  back  in  front  of  the  Spanish 
line.  The  Olympia  led  the  column  three  times  to  the  westward  and  twice  to 
the  eastward  in  front  of  the  Spanish  ships  and  shore  batteries.  On  one  occa- 
sion the  Spanish  flagship  Reina  Cristina  was  hit  by  an  8  inch  shell  from  our 
forward  turret  and  raked  fore  and  aft.  At  9.35  ceased  firing  and  stood  out 
into  Manila  Bay.  The  men  went  to  breakfast. 

Many  of  the  Spanish  ships  were  seen  to  be  on  fire,  and  when  we  returned 
at  11.16  to  complete  the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet  only  one,  the  Don 
Antonio  de  Ulloa,  and  the  shore  batteries  returned  our  fire.  The  former  was 
sunk  and  the  latter  were  silenced.  At  12.40  P.M.  stood  back  to  Manila  Bay 
and  anchored. 

Besides  making  the  ordinary  preparations  of  clearing  ship  for  action,  the 
heavy  sheet  chains  were  faked  up  and  down  over  a  buffer  of  awnings  against 
the  sides  in  wake  of  the  5 -inch  ammunition  hoists  and  afforded  a  stanch  pro- 
tection, while  iron  and  canvas  barricades  were  placed  in  various  places  to 
cover  guns'  crews  and  strengthen  moderate  defenses. 

Number  and  Location  of  Hits. 

The  vessel  was  struck  or  slightly  hulled  as  follows : 

(1)  Plate  indented  I  J^-inches  starboard  side  of  superstructure  just  forward 
of  second  5-inch  sponson. 

(2)  Three  planks  torn  up  slightly  in  wake  of  forward  turret  on  starboard 
side  of  forecastle. 

(3)  Port  after  shrouds  of  fore  and  main  rigging. 

(4)  Strongback  of  gig's  davits  hit  and  slightly  damaged. 

(5)  Hole  in  frame  of  ship  between  frame  65  and  66  on  starboard  side 
below  main  deck  rail;  made  by  a  6-pounder. 

(6)  Lashing  of  port  whaleboat  davit  carried  away  by  shot. 

(7)  One  of  the  rail  stanchions  carried  away  outside  of  port  gangway. 

(8)  Hull  of  ship  indented  on  starboard  side  I  foot  below  main-deck  rail 
and  3  feet  abaft  No.  4  coal  port. 

The  forward  8-inch  guns  fired  23  shells.  The  ammunition  hoist  was 
temporarily  out  of  commission  on  account  of  the  blowing  of  the  fuse.  The 
right  gun  worked  well  with  the  electrical  batteries.  Battery  of  left  gun  failed 
to  explode  the  primer  after  the  first  shot;  also  resistance  lamp  in  dynamo 


OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS.        423 

circuit  broken.  Used  percussion  primers  in  this  gun  with  good  results  after 
the  first  shot. 

The  after  turret  fired  13  shells.  Had  three  misfires  with  battery  of  right 
gun  and  two  with  dynamo  circuit,  as  fuses  blew  out.  In  renewing  fuses  they 
were  immediately  blown  out;  so  shifted  to  percussion  primers  with  good 
results.  In  left  gun  I  shell  jammed,  after  which  used  half-full  and  half-reduced 
charge,  which  fired  it.  Battery  of  this  gun  gave  good  results.  One  primer 
failed  to  check  gas. 

The  smoke  from  the  5-inch  battery  and  from  the  forward  8-inch  guns 
gave  considerable  trouble, and  in  both  turrets  the  object  glass  of  the  telescopic 
sights  became  covered  with  a  deposit  from  the  powder  and  had  to  be  wiped  off 
frequently.  These  are,  nevertheless,  considered  good  sights  for  heavy  guns ; 
but  it  is  recommended  that  bar  sights  be  installed  in  case  of  emergency,  as 
there  is  no  provision  for  sighting  other  than  with  the  telescopes. 

Guns  in  Good  Working  Order. 

The  batteries  for  the  5-inch  guns  found  to  be  unreliable.  Used  dynamo 
circuit  on  3  guns  with  good  results.  Ammunition  poor.  Many  shell  became 
detached  from  the  cases  on  loading  and  had  to  be  rammed  out  from  the 
muzzle.  Several  cases  jammed  in  loading  and  in  extracting.  Guns  and  gun 
mounts  worked  well.  Fired  about  281  5-inch  shell.  The  6-pounder  battery 
worked  to  perfection,  firing  1,000  rounds.  Fired  360  rounds  of  i-pounder 
and  1,000  rounds  of  small-arm  ammunition. 

From  9.42  P.M.  of  April  30,  till  12.40  P.M.,  May  I,  two  divisions  of  the 
engineer's  force  worked  the  boilers  and  engines,  keeping  up  steam  and  work- 
ing well,  notwithstanding  the  heat  of  the  fire  and  engine  rooms.  The  third 
division  worked  at  their  stations  in  the  powder  division.  The  ship  needs  no 
immediate  repairs  and  is  in  excellent  condition  to  engaged  the  enemy  at  any 
time.  There  were  no  casualties  nor  wounded  on  this  ship. 

Where  every  officer  and  man  did  his  whole  duty  there  is  only  room  for 
general  praise.  Pay  Inspector  D.  A.  Smith,  Fleet  Pay  Clerk  Wm.  J.  Right- 
mire,  and  Pay  Clerk  W.  M.  Long  all  volunteered  for  and  performed  active 
service  not  required  by  their  stations.  Ensign  H.  H.  Caldwell,  secretary  to 
the  commander-in-chief,  volunteered  for  fighting  duty  and  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  a  subdivision  of  the  5 -inch  battery.  Every  man  was  eager  to 
have  a  part  in  the  battle,  and  volunteers  were  not  wanting  for  any  service 
required.  The  conspicuous  gallantry  of  officers  and  men  is  deserving  of  spe- 
cial mention.  One  6-pounder  was  manned  by  a  crew  of  marines,  and  two 
relief  crews  for  the  5 -inch  guns  and  two  for  the  6-pounders  acted  as  sharp- 
shooters under  Captain  W.  Biddle,  U,  S.  M.  C. 


424         OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL    COMMANDERS. 

The  range  was  obtained  by  cross  bearings  from  the  standard  compass 
and  the  distance  taken  from  the  chart. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

CH.  V.  GRIDLEY, 
Captain  U.  S.  N.y  Commanding  U.  S.  Flagship  Olympia. 

Only  a  few  weeks  after  Captain  Gridley  presented  this  very  modest 
report,  which  says  nothing  about  the  heroic  part  he  took  in  the  battle,  his 
comrades  in  the  navy,  and  our  whole  country,  were  called  to  mourn  his 
untimely  death.  A  fatal  disease  was  doing  its  deadly  work  as  he  stood  on 
his  ship  and  gave  orders  to  his  men  with  no  more  appearance  of  fear  than  as 
if  making  a  pleasure  excursion  in  Manila  Bay. 

What  all  the  guns  of  the  enemy  could  not  do  was  accomplished  by  the 
inroads  of  insidious  disease,  and  the  man  who  received  this  historic  command 
of  the  Admiral,  "  You  may  fire  when  ready,  Gridley,"  went  down  to  an  hon- 
orable grave  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood  and  the  glory  of  his  brilliant  career. 

Report  of  the  Gallant  Ship  Raleigh. 

The  following  is  Captain  Coghlan's  report,  whose  ship  acted  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  engagement  and  on  returning  a  year  later  to  the  United  States 
received  a  great  ovation  in  every  port  she  entered : 

U.  S.  S.  RALEIGH, 
Off  Manila,  Luzon,  May  4,  1898. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  operations 
of  this  vessel  of  your  squadron  during  the  engagement  with  the  Spanish 
squadron  and  shore  batteries  at  Cavite,  near  Manila,  on  the  morning  of 
May  i,  1898: 

At  about  12.10  A.M.  of  May  1st,  when  passing  in  column,  natural  order, 
abreast  of  El  Fraile  Island,  at  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  I  observed  a  flash,  as 
of  a  signal  thereon,  and  at  about  12.15  A.M.  a  shot  was  fired  from  El  Fraile, 
passing,  as  I  think,  diagonally  between  the  Petrel  and  this  vessel.  A  shot 
was  fired  in  return,  but  without  effect,  by  the  starboard  after  5-inch  gun  of 
this  vessel. 

At  5  A.M.,  when  the  squadron  was  nearly  abreast  the  city  of  Manila  and 
the  flagship  was  turning  to  pass  down  toward  Cavite,  the  Lunetta  Battery,  of 
apparently  heavy  guns,  at  Manila,  opened  fire  and  continued  so  long  as  the 
squadron  was  in  action.  This  vessel  shifted  position  from  starboard  to  port 
(inside)  quarter  of  the  Baltimore,  and  held  that  position  until  retired  at  7.35 
A.M.  At  a  few  minutes  after  5  A.M,  this  vessel,  so  soon  as  the  Spanish  vessels 
at  Cavite  bore  on  the  port  bow,  opened  fire  with  the  6-inch  gun,  ancj  then 


OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS.         425 

with  the  5-inch  guns  in  succession,  as  fast  as  they  would  bear.  The  second- 
ary battery  guns  did  not  seem  to  reach  the  enemy,  and  their  fire  was  soon 
stopped  and  not  again  used  until  the  distance  was  considerably  lessened. 

At  11.20  A.M.,  when  signal  was  made  to  re-engage,  this  vessel  started 
ahead  full  speed  (using  reserve  speed)  to  keep  up  with  the  flagship,  but  it  was 
found  to  be  impossible,  and  falling  behind  all  the  time,  I  cut  across  to  gain 
line  abreast  of  Cavite  Battery  just  as  the  flagship  passed  the  Baltimore  at  that 
port,  at  which  time  we  opened  fire  with  all  guns.  At  12,  in  obedience  to 
signal,  this  vessel  attempted  to  get  into  the  inner  harbor  to  destroy  enemy's 
vessels,  but  getting  into  shoal  water — 20  feet — was  obliged  to  withdraw  and 
BO  reported.  While  attempting  to  get  inside,  the  battery  was  used  on  an 
enemy-vessel  at  anchor  (supposed  to  be  the  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa)  until  she 
sank.  Not  being  able  to  find  a  channel  farther  inside,  and  everything  in 
sight  having  been  destroyed,  this  vessel,  at  1.30  P.M.,  withdrew  and  later 
anchored  near  the  flagship.  I  enclose  a  statement  of  the  ammunition  expended 
during  the  engagement. 

I  am  very  pleased  to  report  that  the  officers  and  crew  behaved  splen- 
didly. Each  and  every  one  seemed  anxious  to  do  his  whole  duty,  and,  so  far 
as  I  can  learn,  did  it.  Their  whole  conduct  was  beyond  praise. 

This  vessel  was  struck  but  once,  and  then  by  a  6-pounder  shell,  which 
passed  through  both  sides  of  the  whaleboat  (above  her  water-line),  and  then 
glanced  along  the  chase  of  the  starboard  6-pounder  on  our  poop.  The  gun 
was  not  injured,  and  the  whaleboat  but  slightly,  and  she  is  again  ready  for 

service. 

Came  Out  without  Injury. 

I  am  happy  to  report  that  there  were  no  causalties  of  any  kind.  This 
vessel  at  the  close  of  the  engagement  was  in  as  good  condition  as  when  it 
began,  and  without  any  preparation  could  have  fought  it  over  again.  In  con- 
clusion permit  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  the  very  brilliant  victory  you 
achieved  over  a  naval  force  nearly  equal  to  your  own  and  backed  by  exten- 
sive shore  batteries  of  very  heavy  guns,  and  this  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
life.  History  ooints  to  no  greater  achievement. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  B.  COGHLAN, 

Captain  U.  S.  N.,  Commanding. 
COMMODORE  GEORGE  DEWEY,  U.  S.  N., 

Commander-in- Chief  U.  S.  Naval  Force,  Asiatic  Station. 

U.  S.  S.  CONCORD, 

Manila,  May  2,  1898. 
§JR:  In  compliance  vyith  Article  275,  United  States  Navy  Regulations, 


426         OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS. 

I  have  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  late  action  so  far  as  this  vessel 
was  concerned. 

In  obedience  to  your  orders  I  took  position  in  line.  In  passing  the  city 
a  big  gun  opened  on  the  fleet,  to  which  I  replied  with  two  shots.  The  Con- 
cord held  her  position  in  the  line  until  your  order  to  withdraw  from  action. 

Later  in  the  day  I  was  ordered  by  you  to  burn  a  transport.  To  arrive  at 
the  position  of  the  transport  my  course  lay  so  as  to  open  the  dock-yard  and 
vessels  therein,  at  which  I  took  a  few  shots  with  the  6-inch  battery.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  firing  the  transport,  which  is  still  in  flames. 

Valor  Beyond  All  Praise. 

Each  and  every  one  of  my  subordinates  did  his  whole  duty  with  an 
enthusiasm  and  zeal  beyond  all  praise.  I  am  particularly  indebted  to  the 
executive  officer,  Lieutenant-Commander  George  P.  Colvocoresses,  for  the 
cool,  deliberate,  and  efficient  manner  with  which  he  met  each  phase  of  the 
action,  and  for  his  hearty  co-operation  in  my  plans.  Lieut.  T.  B.  Howard, 
the  navigator,  proved  that,  like  his  father,  he  was  ready  to  offer  his  life 
to  his  country  and  flag.  The  officers  of  divisions — Lieut.  P.  W.  Hourigan, 
powder;  Lieut,  (j.  G.)  C.  M.  McCormick,  third  gun;  Ensign  L.  A.  Kaiser, 
second  gun,  and  Ensign  W.  C.  Davidson,  first  gun — performed  every  duty 
with  zeal  and  alacrity.  Ensign  O.  S.  Knepper,  in  charge  of  signals,  per- 
formed the  duty  as  though  he  we;  e  in  the  daily  habit  of  being  under  fire. 
P.  A.  Paymaster  E.  D.  Ryan  volunteered  to  take  charge  of  the  after  powder 
division,  and  was  most  useful  therein.  The  steam  department,  under  Chief 
Engineer  G.  B.  Ransom  and  P.  A.  Engineer  H.  W.  Jones,  was  in  a  perfect 
condition,  working  as  though  on  parade.  Pay  Clerk  F.  K.  Hunt  volunteered 
to  assist  the  surgeon.  The  crew,  one  and  all,  worked  with  enthusiasm.  I 
have  nothing  but  praise  for  each  and  every  man.  I  am  happy  to  report  that 
there  were  no  casualties.  The  Concord  was  not  hit. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  ammunition  expended:  One  hundred  and 
fifteen  6-inch  full  charges,  sixty-seven  6-inch  reduced  charges,  six  shrapnel, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-six  6-inch  common  shell,  two  hundred  and  twenty 
6-pounder  cartridges,  one  hundred  and  twenty  3-pounder  cartridges,  and  sixty 
i -pounder  cartridges. 

I  enclose  a  list  of  the  ammunition  remaining  on  board :  also  the  report  of 
the  executive  officer  and  of  the  chief  engineer. 

Very  respectfully, 

ASA  WALKER. 
Commander,  U.  S.  N.,  Commanding. 

THE  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  U-  S.  NAVAL  FORCE,  Asiatic  Station. 


OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS.         427 

U.  S.  S.  BALTIMORE, 
Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  May  4,  1898. 

SIR: — I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report,  as  required  by 
Article  437,  Navy  Regulations,  of  the  engagement  of  this  ship  with  the 
Spanish  fleet  and  shore  batteries  at  Sangley  Point,  Cavite  Bay,  on  the  first 
instant. 

At  early  day-light  the  fleet  had  reached  a  point  close  up  to  the  shipping 
off  the  city  of  Manila,  when  the  signal  was  made,  "  Prepare  for  general 
action."  Spanish  batteries  near  old  Manila  opened  fire  at  long  range  at  about 
the  same  time.  Flagship  leading,  with  port  helm,  bore  down  on  the  right  of 
Spanish  line  of  vessels,  formed  in  a  somewhat  irregular  crescent  at  anchor, 
extending  from  off  Sangley  Point  to  the  northeast,  and  in  readiness  to  receive 
us,  their  left  supported  by  the  batteries  on  Sangley  Point. 

Following  your  lead  in  close  order,  our  fire  commenced  with  the  port 
battery  at  about  5.40  A.  M.,  at  a  distance  of  about  6,000  yards.  Our  column 
passed  down  the  enemy's  line,  turning  with  port  helm  as  their  left  was  reached, 
engaging  them  with  starboard  battery  on  the  return.  This  manceuver  was 
performed  three  time  at  distances  from  the  enemy's  ships  varying  from  2,600 
to  5,000  yards,  when  you  signaled  to  "  withdraw  from  action  "  at  7.35.  Upon 
reaching  a  convenient  distance  in  the  bay,  you  signaled,  "  Let  the  people  go 
to  breakfast;"  and  at  8.40,  "Commanding  officers  repair  on  board  the  flag- 
ship." 

Spanish  Colors  Flying. 

While  on  board  the  flagship  I  received  an  order  to  intercept  a  steamer 
coming  up  the  bay,  reported  to  be  flying  Spanish  colors.  Soon  after  starting 
on  this  duty  I  discovered  the  colors  of  the  stranger  to  be  British,  and  so 
reported  by  signal,  you  having  in  the  meantime  made  general  signal  to  get 
under  way  and  follow  your  motions,  this  ship  being  at  the  same  time  some 
two  miles  to  the  south-southwest  of  the  flagship  on  her  way  to  intercept  the 
supposed  Spanish  steamer. 

At  10.55  y°u  made  general  signal,  "  Designated  vessel  will  lead,"  with 
Baltimore's  distinguishing  pennant,  and  in  a  few  minutes  signal  to  "  attack  the 
enemy's  batteries  or  breastworks  "  and  for  fleet  to  "  close  up;  "  in  obedience 
to  which  order  this  ship  led  in,  with  starboard  helm,  to  a  position  off*  the 
Canocoa  and  Sangley  Point  batteries  and  opened  fire  with  starboard  battery 
at  a  distance  of  about  2,800  yards,  closing  in  to  2,200,  between  which  and 
2,700  yards  our  best  work  was  done,  slowing  the  ship  dead  slow,  stopping 
the  engines  as  range  was  obtained,  delivering  a  rapid  and  accurate  fire  upon 
the  shore  batteries  and  a  gunboat  just  in-side  of  Sangley  Point,  since  proven  to 


428         OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS. 

have  been  the  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa,  practically  silencing  the  batteries  in 
question  before  the  fire  of  another  ship  became  effective,  owing  to  the  lead  we 
had  obtained  in  our  start  for  the  supposed  Spanish  steamer. 

The  fire  of  ships  and  batteries  having  been  silenced  and  tkc  white  flag 
displayed  on  the  arsenal  buildings  at  Cavite,  you  signaled,  at  r.zo,  to  "  prepare 
to  anchor,"  and  at  1.30,  "Anchor  at  discretion." 

The  victory  was  complete.  The  wind  was  light  and  variable  during  the 
first  engagement  and  from  the  northeast ;  force  2  to  3  during  the  second. 

The  firing  devices  gave  considerable  trouble,  extractors,  sear  springs,  and 
firing  pins  bending  and  breaking,  and  wedge  blocks  jamming.  Electric  firing 
attachments  gave  trouble  by  the  grease  and  dirt  incident  to  firing  insulating 
the  connections,  so  much  so  that  shortly  after  the  engagement  commenced 
they  were  abandoned  for  percussion,  but  coolness  and  steadiness  replaced 
defective  parts  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  The  ammunition  supply  was 
ample,  and  the  test  was  conclusive  so  long  as  electric  hoists  are  uninjured. 

Accurate  and  Rapid  Firing. 

The  behavior  of  officers  and  men  was  beyond  all  praise.  The  accuracy 
and  rapidity  of  their  fire  you  were  an  eye-witness  of.  The  steadiness  and 
cool  bearing  of  all  on'board  who  came  under  my  observation  was  that  of  vet- 
erans. The  fact  that  the  ship  was  so  rarely  hit  gave  few  opportunities  for 
conspicuous  acts  of  heroism  or  daring,  but  the  enthusiasm  and  cool  steadi- 
ness of  the  men  gave  promise  that  they  would  have  been  equal  to  any 
emergency. 

I  shall  report  later  such  detail  of  individual  merit  as  has  been  mentioned 
by  officers  of  divisions  or  that  came  under  my  own  observation.  I  inclose 
(a)  report  of  executive  officer ;  (b}  surgeon's  report  of  casualties ;  (c]  carpen- 
ter's report  of  damages;  (d)  report  of  ammunition  expended. 

Very  respectfully,  N.   M.  DYER, 

Captain^  U.  S.  N.,  Commanding* 
The  Commander-in- Chief,  U.  S.  Naval  Force, 
Asiatic  Station. 

U.  S.  S.  PETREL, 
Manila  Bay,  May  4,  1898. 

SIR  : — I  respectfully  report  as  follows  concerning  my  share  in  the  action 
fought  by  the  fleet  under  your  command  in  Manila  Bay,  off  Cavite,  on  the 
morning  of  May  I,  1898: 

The  ship  had  been  partly  cleared  for  action  at  Hong  Kong  and  on  the 
run  to  Manila.  Went  to  quarters  for  action  at  9.45  A.  M.  of  April  3Oth,  and 


OFFICIAL  REPORTS  OF  NAVAL  COMMANDERS.      429 

all  preparations  were  completed.  Hammocks  were  not  piped  down,  but  men 
were  allowed  to  sleep  at  their  guns. 

The  position  of  Petrel  was  fourth  from  head  of  column,  astern  of  Raleigh 
and  ahead  of  Concord.  We  passed  in  through  Boco  Grande,  about  one  mile 
from  El  Fraile.  All  lights  were  masked  and  only  stern  lights  showing.  At 
11.10  a  rocket  and  light  were  shown  from  Corregidor  Island,  and  just  as  the 
Raleigh  and  Petrel  came  abreast  of  El  Fraile  three  shots  were  fired  from  a 
shore  battery  on  the  rock,  these  being  promptly  replied  to  by  the  Raleigh, 
Concord  and  Boston. 

We  steamed  slowly  up  the  bay,  and  just  as  day  was  breaking,  about  5 
o'clock,  the  shore  batteries  below  Manila  began  firing.  It  was  scarcely  light 
enough  to  distinguish  signals  from  this  vessel  when  flagship  made  signal  to 
"  Prepare  for  action,"  so  signal  was  repeated  from  Baltimore.  During  time 
column  was  forming  and  closing  up,  the  batteries  from  Manila  were  firing.  As 
flagship  stood  to  southward  the  ships  and  batteries  at  Cavite  began  their  firing, 
and  gradually,  as  we  approached,  we  could  make  out  ships  under  way  in  the 
harbor  and  three  guns  on  shore  firing.  The  battery  of  this  vessel  began  firing 
at  5.22  by  the  deck  clock  at  a  range  of  5,000  yards. 

Deadly  Aim  of  American  Gunners. 

The  column  circled  three  times  from  east  to  west  in  front  of  shore,  stand- 
ing in  a  little  nearer  each  time,  the  first  time  being  3,000  yards  and  the  third 
time  i, 800  yards.  During  these  three  rounds  this  vessel  expended  ninety-two 
6-inch  common  shells,  eighty-two  6-inch  full  charges,  ten  reduced  charges, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  3-pounders.  Several  times  during  rounds 
had  to  cease  firing  on  account  of  smoke  and  in  order  to  economize  ammunition. 

The  greater  part  of  our  great  gun  fire  was  at  the  Reina  Christina  and 
Castilla,  the  former  steaming  around  the  harbor  and  the  latter  anchored  about 
500  yards  off  Sangley  Point ;  but  the  other  and  smaller  vessels  were  fired  at 
when  opportunity  offered.  Especially  was  the  fire  of  the  rapid-fire  guns 
aimed  at  a  yellow  launch,  which  was  apparently  a  torpedo  boat  trying  to  turn 
our  flank.  The  navigator,  Lieut.  B.  A.  Fiske,  was  stationed  in  the  top  with  a 
stadimeter  to  determine  the  distance  and  report  upon  the  efficiency  of  the  fire. 

At  9.30  we  ceased  firing  and  withdrew  from  action  in  obedience  to  a 
signal  from  flagship  to  fleet  to  that  effect.  The  men  were  given  their  break- 
fast. While  withdrawing  the  enemy  continued  firing  until  we  were  well  out 
of  range,  and  the  batteries  below  Manila  were  firing  at  intervals  during  break- 
fast. At  n,  when  the  signal  was  made  to  get  under  way,  the  Petrel  followed 
the  Olympia  and  stood  well  in.  While  steaming  across  the  fire  the  signal  was 
hoisted  for  the  Petrel  to  pass  inside. 


430        OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS. 

This  vessel  left  her  station,  passed  outside  of  Baltimore,  and  rounded 
Sangley  Point  about  500  yards  outside  of  where  the  Castilla  was  burning.  The 
fire  was  then  directed  at  the  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa,  and  when  it  was  found  that 
she  was  sinking  and  deserted,  the  ship  passed  farther  inside  and  opened  fire 
upon  the  ships  behind  inner  breakwater  and  whose  masts  were  seen  above 
government  buildings.  During  the  firing  on  the  Ulloa  a  white  flag  with  a 
Geneva  cross  was  discovered  in  range  with  her,  and  I  stood  in  further  so  as 
to  get  it  out  of  range.  After  the  first  two  or  three  shots  fired  through  the 
public  building  at  ships  behind  the  mole,  the  Spanish  flag  was,  at  12.30  P.M., 
hauled  down  and  a  white  flag  run  up.  The  surrender  was  immediately  sig- 
naled to  fleet  and  firing  ceased. 

In  obedience  to  a  signal  from  flagship  to  destroy  all  shipping  in  the  har- 
bor, Lieutenant  Hughes  was  sent  with  a  whaleboats'  crew  of  seven  men,  this 
whaleboat  being  the  only  one  on  the  ship  which  would  float,  and  set  fire  to 
the  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  Isla  de  Cuba,  Isla  de  Luzon,  General  Lezo,  and 
Marques  del  Duero.  Afterwards  Ensign  Fermier  was  sent  to  set  fire  to  the 
Velasco  and  El  Correo.  The  Isla  de  Cuba,  Isla  de  Luzon,  and  Don  Juan  de 
Austria  were  aground  and  full  of  water  when  they  were  fired.  Their  out- 
board valves  were  opened  and  the  ships  allowed  to  fill.  The  breech  plugs  of 
4-inch  guns  had  been  taken  off  and  could  not  be  found. 

Her  Magazines  Blew  Up. 

During  the  night  the  magazines  of  the  Don  Juan  de  Ulloa  blew  up. 
The  Manila  was  not  burned  because  the  Spanish  officers  begged  that  she  be 
not  destroyed  because  she  was  unarmed  and  a  coast-survey  vessel.  Lieutenant 
Fiske  and  Passed  Assistant  Engineer  Hall  raised  steam  on  the  ship  this 
morning,  the  4th  instant,  and  brought  her  out.  At  the  time  she  was  aground. 
The  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa  was  sunk  and  the  Reina  Christina  and  Castilla 
were  burning  in  outer  harbor. 

Lieutenant  Fiske  was  sent  ashore  and  brought  off  two  tugboats,  the 
Rapido  and  Hercules,  and  three  steam  launches.  I  was  anchored  in  Cavite 
harbor  from  12.50  to  5.20  P.M.,  when  I  got  under  way  and  returned  to  the 
fleet. 

(  There  were  no  casualties  or  accidents  of  any  kind,  the  ship  having  been 
ptruck  only  once  just  beneath  hawse  pipe  by  a  piece  of  shell  which  burst  just 
as  it  sank,  and  threw  a  column  of  water  over  the  forcastle. 

After  the  white  flag  was  displayed,  there  was  apparently  the  greatest 
confusion  in  the  arsenal.  Parts  of  the  crews  of  the  various  ships  were  there, 
and  all  were  armed  and  were  constantly  falling  in  and  moving  about;  yet 
there  was  no  evidence  of  any  desire  to  continue  the  fighting,  and  instead  of 


OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS.        431 

/*ny  being  offered  to  the  destruction  of  the  ships,  they  were  rather  inclined  to 
assist  with  their  advice  and  evinced  a  desire  to  surrender  to  the  first  officer 
they  met. 

The  action  of  ammunition  was  exceedingly  good.  There  were  expended 
during  action  one  hundred  and  thirteen  6-inch  common  shells,  three  6 -inch 
armor-piercing  shells,  eighty-two  6-inch  full  charges,  thirty-four  6-inch  reduced 
charges  and  three  hundred  and  thirteen  3-pounder  ammunition.  Owing  to 
the  heat  due  to  firing,  the  pads  swelled  and  made  it  very  difficult  to  lock  the 
breech  plug.  Nothing  would  remedy  this  save  shifting  plugs,  replacing  hot 
plug  by  the  one  from  the  other  gun  which  was  cool.  The  wedge  of  firing- 
lock  jammed  frequently,  due  to  hot  parts.  This  was  remedied  by  shifting 
locks. 

The  percussion  primers  worked  very  unsatisfactorily;  sometimes  four 
primers  would  be  expended  before  one  would  act.  Primers  leaked  badly, 
causing  excessive  deposit  in  primer  seat,  hard  extraction,  and  delay  in  prim- 
ing of  gun  and  requiring  frequent  boring  of  vent.  The  action  of  no  one  can 
be  censured,  the  conduct  of  each  and  every  officer  and  man  being  excellent. 
There  was  no  confusion ;  I  should  say  less  than  at  ordinary  target  practice. 

Gallantry  of  a  Lieutenant. 

The  loading  was  rapidly  done  and  the  firing  was  deliberate.  Due  to  your 
caution  to  commanding  officers  that  no  ammunition  should  be  wasted,  Lieu- 
tenant Plunkett  fired  the  forward  6-inch  guns  and  Ensign  Fermier  the  after 
ones,  and  the  work  was  thoroughly  done.  Lieutenant  Hughes  stationed  him-- 
self  on  the  poop,  as  it  was  deemed  essential  that  he  should  not  be  with  the 
commanding  officer  on  the  bridge.  He  materially  assisted  Ensign  Fermier 
by  observing  fall  of  shot  and  tendering  advice  regarding  pointing.  I  wish 
particularly  to  call  to  your  attention  Lieutenant  Hughes,  his  gallantry  in 
taking  a  boat's  crew  of  seven  men,  and  in  the  face  of  a  large  armed  force  on 
shore  setting  fire  to  the  five  ships  before  mentioned.  He  was  aware  that  he 
had  the  only  boat  in  the  ship  which  would  float,  until  the  steam  whaleboat 
could  be  prepared. 

Lieutenant  Fiske  stationed  himself  on  the  fore  cross  trees  with  stadimeter 
to  measure  the  range  and  report  on  the  fall  of  shots.  He  also  took  charge 
of  the  steam  whaleboat  to  cover  Lieutenant  Hughes  in  his  operations  in 
burning  the  ships.  Lieutenant  Wood  had  charge  of  the  powder  division, 
assisted  in  the  after  part  by  Assistant  Paymaster  Seibels.  There  was  at  no 
time  a  halt  in  the  firing  due  to  failure  of  the  powder  division.  Ensign  Mont- 
gomery was  in  charge  of  the  signals,  and  materially  assisted  me  on  the 
bridge.  He  also  directed  the  fire  of  the  forward  3»pounder  when  it  was 


432        OFFICIAL  REPORTS  OF  NAVAL  COMMANDERS. 

allowed  to  be  fired.     He  also  afforded  assistance  to  Lieutenant  Plunket  by 
observing  the  fall  of  shots  from  the  forward  6-inch  guns. 

I  desire  also  to  mention  the  efficient  service  of  the  engines.  In  order  to 
maintain  our  position  and  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity,  the  engine 
telegraph  was  in  constant  use  from  full  speed  to  stop,  and  the  engine  never 
failed  to  respond  in  the  quickest  time  possible.  This  I  consider  to  be  due  to 
the  high  state  of  efficiency  of  that  department,  and  the  whole  credit  is  due  to 
Passed  Assistant  Engineer  Hall. 

I  can  make  no  statement  regarding  the  services  of  Passed  Assistant 
Surgeon  Brownell,  as  the  Petrel  was  most  fortunate  in  having  no  casualties0 

I  inclose  the  report  of  the  executive  officer. 

Very  respectfully,  E.  P.  WOOD, 

Commander,  U.  S.  N.,  Commanding. 

The  Commander-in- Chief  U.  S.  Naval  Force,  Asiatic  Station. 

Report  of  the  Boston. 

U.  S.  S.  BOSTON,  20  RATE, 
Port  Cavite,  Manila  Bay,  May  3,  1898. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the  part  taken 
by  this  vessel  in  the  late  action  with  the  Spanish  fleet  on  the  morning  of 
May  I. 

At  daylight  the  merchant  ships  off  Manila  were  seen,  and  soon  after  the 
Spanish  fleet,  close  in  to  Cavite.  This  vessel  was  the  sixth  in  the  column 
and  brought  up  the  rear.  Several  shots  were  fired  by  the  batteries  in  Manila, 
and  two  shots  were  given  in  reply.  At  5.35  A.M.  action  with  the  enemy  com- 
menced and  was  continued  at  varying  distances,  steaming  in  a  circle,  until 
7.35  A.M.,  firing  with  a  fair  degree  of  deliberation  and  accuracy.  At  times 
the  smoke  was  dense,  interfering  very  materially  with  manceuvering  and 
firing. 

The  Spanish  fleet  and  shore  batteries  replied  vigorously,  and  an  attempt 
was  made  with  an  improvised  torpedo  boat,  but  our  fire  was  overpowering 
and  the  enemy  received  heavy  damage  and  loss.  In  obedience  to  signal,  I 
withdrew  from  action  at  7.35  and  gave  the  crew  breakfast  and  rest.  At  11.10 
the  action  was  renewed  and  continued  until  the  enemy  ceased  firing  and  his 
ships  were  all  burned,  sunk,  or  withdrawn  behind  the  arsenal  of  Cavite. 

This  vessel  was  struck  four  times  by  enemy's  shot,  doing  no  material 
damage.  Our  own  fire  destroyed  three  of  our  own  boats  and  badly  damaged 
three  others.  No  casualties  occurred. 

The  conduct  of  officers  and  men  on  this  trying  occasion  was  of  the  very 
highest  quality,  and  they  bore  themselves  with  courage  and  spirit  and  entirely 


OFFICIAL   REPORTS   OF   NAVAL   COMMANDERS.        433 

to  my  satisfaction.  It  also  gives  me  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  the  courage 
and  resolution  of  the  Spanish  fleet  and  to  say  that  they  defended  themselves 
creditably. 

Very  respectfully,  FRANK  WILDES, 

Captain •,  U.  S.  N.y  Commanding. 
The  Commander-in-  Chief,  Commanding  U.  S.  Naval  Force  on  Asiatic  Station. 

U.  S.  STEAMER  MCCULLOCH, 

Manila  Bay,  May  3,  1898. 

SIR:  Regarding  the  part  taken  by  this  vessel  in  the  naval  action  of 
Manila  Bay  at  Cavite,  on  Sunday  morning,  May  I,  1898,  between  the  Ameri- 
can and  Spanish  forces,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report : 

Constituting  the  leading  vessel  of  the  reserve  squadron  the  McCulloch 
was,  when  fire  opened,  advanced  as  closely  as  was  advisable  in  rear  of  our 
engaged  men  of  war,  in  fact,  to  a  point  where  several  shells  struck  close 
aboard  and  others  passed  overhead,  and  kept  steaming  slowly  to  and  fro, 
ready  to  render  any  aid  in  her  power,  or  respond  at  once  to  any  signal  from 
the  Olympia.  A  9-inch  hawser  was  gotten  up  and  run  aft,  should  assistance 
be  necessary  in  case  any  of  our  ships  grounded.  At  a  later  hour  during  the 
day,  just  prior  to  the  renewal  of  the  attack  by  our  squadron,  I  intercepted  the 
British  mail  steamer  Esmeralda,  in  compliance  with  a  signal  from  the  flag- 
ship, communicated  to  her  commander  your  orders  in  regard  to  his  move- 
ments, and  then  proceeded  to  resume  my  former  position  of  the  morning, 
near  the  fleet,  where  I  remained  until  the  surrender  of  the  enemy.  I  desire 
to  state  in  conclusion  that  I  was  ably  seconded  by  the  officers  and  crew  of  my 
command  in  every  effort  made  to  be  in  a  state  of  readiness  to  carry  out 
promptly  any  orders  which  might  have  been  signaled  from  your  flagship. 
Respectfully,  yours,  D.  B.  HODGSDON, 

Captain,  R.  S.  C.,  Commanding, 
COMMODORE  GEORGE  DEWEY,  U.  S.  N., 

Commanding  U.  S.  Naval  Force  on  Asiaic  Station. 
28-D 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Our  New  Possessions  and  Their  Industries. 

HOSE  who  have  never  traveled  in  the  Orient  have  little  conception 
of  the  luxuriance  of  tropical  countries.     Sun  and   rain  are  what 
make  vegetation   flourish,  and  in  the  absence  of  frost  to  kill  or 
drought  to  blight  nature  puts  on  all  her  loveliness  to  adorn  and 
enrich  the  teeming  fruitfulness  of  the  land. 

Many  of  the  products  of  temperate  zones  are  not  found  in  the  torrid,  yet 
it  may  be  questioned  whether,  with  proper  cultivation,  as  much  profit  may 
not  be  realized  for  the  same  amount  of  territory  in  a  tropical  clime  as  in  one 
farther  north.  The  climate  is  enervating  in  a  hot  country,  and  for  this  reason 
labor  is  not  so  active,  and  consequently  not  so  productive.  But  large  for- 
tunes have  been  accumulated  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  they  present  a 
wide  field  for  enterprise  to  those  who  can  endure  the  climate,  which,  it  must 
be  admitted,  is  very  trying. 

Immense  Resources. 

The  War  between  Spain  and  the  United  States  directed  public  attention 
to  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  the  victory  of  the  United  States  naval  squadron 
and  land  forces  at  Manila  has  emphasized  the  great  resources  of  these  islands. 
Under  the  circumstances,  a  general  review  of  some  of  the  industries  of  the 
islands  will  be  interesting. 

In  1834,  the  port  of  Manila,  the  capital  of  the  islands,  was  opened  to 
resident  foreign  merchants,  but  before  that  date  the  Philippine  Islands  were 
little  known  in  the  foreign  markets,  and  commercial  centres  of  Europe.  So 
decided  was  the  spirit  of  exclusiveness  and  abhorrence  of  foreign  intercourse 
that  the  Spaniards,  in  1738,  preferred  a  war  with  England  to  the  fulfillment 
of  a  contract  for  freer  commerce,  entered  into  under  the  treaty  of  Utrecht. 
Before  1834,  a  Mr.  Butler  applied  for  permission  to  reside  in  and  open  up  a 
trade  between  Manila  and  foreign  ports,  but  the  application  was  promptly 
rejected,  though  subsequently  the  American  firm  of  Russell  &  Sturgis,  hav- 
ing the  support  of  the  governor-general,  made  a  similar  application,  which 
was  successful,  and  since  then  many  foreigners  have  settled  in  the  open  ports 
of  the  Philippine  Islands  for  business  purposes.  Banks  have  been  established 
and  other  agencies  necessary  to  facilitate  and  promote  trade  are  now  a  part  of 
the  business  machinery  of  the  islands. 
434 


OUR  NEW  TERRITORIES. 

During  the  reign  of  Isabella  II.  (1833-1868)  a  Philippine  coin  was  issued, 
and  about  the  year  1868  gold  coin  sold  for  less  than  the  nominal  value  in 
silver,  and  as  much  as  10  per  cent,  was  paid  to  exchange  an  onza  of  gold  ($16) 
for  silver.  In  1878  gold  and  silver  were  worth  their  nominal  relative  value, 
and  gold  gradually  disappeared  from  the  islands,  large  quantities  being 
exported  to  China.  At  the  beginning  of  1885  as  much  as  lo  per  cent,  pre- 
mium was  paid  for  Philippine  gold  of  the  Isabella  II.  or  any  previous  coinage, 
but  at  the  present  clay  gold  is  obtainable  in  limited  quantities  and  about  the 
same  rate  as  sight  drafts  on  Europe. 

Manufacturing  in  the  Philippines. 

The  monetary  crisis,  attributed  by  some  to  the  depreciation  of  silver, 
was  experienced  in  the  islands,  and  the  Spanish  Government  added  to  the 
embarrassment  by  coining  half  dollars  and  twenty-cent  pieces  without  the 
intrinsic  value  expressed.  It  was  in  consequence  of  such  a  false  value  that 
exchange  fell  lower,  and  in  Spain  the  silver  then  coined  was  rejected  by  the 
Government  officers  and  merchants,  which  still  further  impaired  the  interests 
of  the  islanders.  The  action  of  the  Spanish  Government  was  a  retrograde 
movement.  The  coinage  of  a  nation  denoting  its  political  condition,  the 
deterioration  of  it  indicates  an  age  of  decrepitude. 

The  manufacturing  industry  of  the  islands  is  in  its  infancy,  and  the 
industrial  arts  have  not  been  fostered.  It  may  be  said  that  cigars  are  about 
the  only  manufactured  export  staple,  though  occasionally  some  cordage,  hides 
and  a  parcel  of  straw  or  finely  split  bamboo  hats  are  shipped.  In  some  of 
the  provinces  hats  and  straw  mats  are  made,  in  others  a  rough  cloth  is  woven 
from  hemp  fibre. 

These  last  are  principally  woven  in  the  province  of  Yloilo,  where  also  is 
made  a  muslin  of  pure  pine  leaf  fibre,  and  a  fabric  of  mixed  pine-leaf  and 
hemp  filament.  The  province  of  Hocos  has  a  reputation  for  its  woolen  and 
dyed  cotton  fabrics,  and  that  of  Batangas  produces  a  special  make  of  cotton 
stuffs.  Pasig,  on  the  river  of  that  name,  and  Sulipan  in  Pampanga  are  locally 
known  for  their  rough  pottery.  The  centre  of  the  white  wood  furniture  and 
wood  carving  is  Palte,  the  extreme  east  of  Sagina  de  Bay.  In  Mariquina, 
near  Manila,  wooden  clogs  and  native  leather  shoes  are  made,  and  the  gold 
and  silver  workers  are  at  Santa  Cruz,  a  ward  of  Manila.  In  the  more  civil- 
ized provinces  the  native  women  produce  pretty  specimens  of  embroidery  on 
European  patterns,  and,  on  a  small  scale  there  are  centres  of  manufacture  of 
straw  bags,  alcohol,  bamboo  furniture,  buffalo  hide,  leather,  wax  candles, 
and  soap. 

The  first  brewery  was  opened  October  4,  1890,  in  Manila,  by  Don  Enrique 


436  OUR    NEW   TERRITORIES. 

Barretto.  The  manufactures  indicated  are  supported  by  native  capital,  and 
the  traffic  and  consumption  being  mostly  local,  the  addition  to  the  wealth  of 
the  islands  is  not  large.  Outside  of  the  open  ports  there  is  little  scope  for 
the  natives  to  profitably  pursue  the  industrial  arts,  and  whatever  capacity 
they  possess  appears  to  be  lost  in  the  want  of  an  opportunity  under  com- 
petent guidance. 

There  is  one  railroad  running  from  Manila  to  Dagupin,  about  220  miles, 
built  by  a  British  company,  called  the  Manila  Railway  Company,  Limited; 
between  Manila  and  Dagupin  there  are  four  railway  stations.  We  have  no 
statistics  as  to  the  earnings  of  the  road,  but  the  civilizing  influence  it  exerts 
is  quite  evident,  and  shows  that  when  the  islands  are  properly  governed,  and 
modern  industrial  appliances  are  utilized,  the  personnel  of  the  natives  as  well 
as  the  resources  are  capable  of  great  improvement  and  development. 

Agriculture  Past  and  Present. 

Agriculture  has  never  flourished  in  the  islands.  Before  competition  in 
other  colonies  became  so  active  there  were  fair  remunerative  returns  from  the 
cultivation  of  hemp  and  sugar, — the  main  staple  products ;  labor  was  then 
cheaper,  as  were  the  beasts  for  tilling  the  soil;  the  necessities  of  the  laboring 
classes  were  fewer,  and  though  the  aggregate  production  was  not  so  large,  the 
natives  were  in  a  sounder  position  than  the  same  class  are  generally  now.  It 
would  seem  that  in  passing  from  the  primitive  to  a  more  civilized  state  one 
may  look  back  with  fond  regret  to  the  simple  wants  of  the  former  as  com- 
pared with  those  of  the  latter. 

One  of  the  causes  of  agricultural  failure  in  the  islands  is  the  same  which 
results  in  failure  elsewhere.  Some  embark  in  agriculture  with  insufficient 
capital  and  end  by  becoming  the  slaves  of  the  money  lender,  having  them- 
selves to  blame  for  want  of  foresight,  but  invariably  blaming  the  one  who 
loaned  them  money  which  they  needed,  and  cursing  the  lender  for  the  high 
rate  of  interest  which  they  agreed  to  pay. 

Thus  it  is  in  the  Philippine  Islands  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  prov- 
ing that  every  departure  from  sound  economic  laws  entails  losses  if  not 
financial  ruin.  It  is  not  so  certain  that  the  natives  of  the  Philippines  are 
readier  to  begin  work  on  insufficient  capital  and  pay  high  rates  of  interest 
than  the  natives  of  more  civilized  lands,  but  a  marked  characteristic  of  the 
islanders  is  their  indifference  to  adequate  provision  for  crop  failures.  It  is 
estimated  that  if  all  the  Philippine  planters  had  to  liquidate  within  twelve 
months  as  many  as  50  per  cent,  would  be  insolvent. 

The  value  of  agricultural  land  is,  of  course,  in  proportion  to  its  produc- 
tive capacity  and  its  nearness  to  the  open  port.  In  the  orovince  of  Manila. 


OUR   NEW  TERRITORIES.  437 

land  is  usually  higher  priced,  Manila  being  the  capital  and  the  largest,  com- 
mercially, of  the  open  ports.  In  the  province  of  Bulacan,  which  adjoins  that 
of  Manila,  an  acre  that  produces  20  tons  of  cane  would  probably  sell  for  $11$, 
while  in  a  province  more  remote  from  Manila,  the  average  value  of  land, 
yielding  20  tons  per  acre,  would  not  sell  for  more  than  $75  per  acre.  The 
finest  sugar-cane  producing  island  is  the  island  of  Negos,  in  the  Visaya  dis- 
trict, between  9°  and  11°  N.  latitude.  The  area  of  the  island  is  about  equal 
to  that  of  Porto  Rico,  but  it  has  never  been  made  to  yield  its  full  capacity. 

How  Sugar- Oane  is  Cultivated. 

The  sugar  estates  are  small,  and  from  those  inland  the  sugar  is  trans- 
ported to  the  open  ports  in  buffalo  carts.  The  system  of  planting  is  different 
from  that  prevailing  in  the  West  Indies.  In  the  latter  the  planters  set  the 
canes  out  widely,  leaving  plenty  of  space  for  the  development  of  the  roots,  and 
the  ratoons  serve  from  five  to  twenty  years,  while  in  the  Philippines  the  setting 
of  cane  points  is  renewed  each  year,  with  few  exceptions,  and  the  planting  is 
comparatively  close.  The  system  of  labor  in  the  northern  and  southern 
parts  of  the  islands  is  different.  The  plantations  in  the  north  are  worked  on 
the  co-operative  principle.  The  estate  is  divided  by  the  owner  into  tenements, 
each  tenant  being  provided  with  a  buffalo  and  agricultural  implements  to  work 
and  attend  to  the  crop  of  cane  as  if  it  were  his  own  property,  and  when  cut 
and  the  sugar  is  worked  off,  the  tenant  receives  one-third,  and  sometimes  as 
much  as  one-half  of  the  output. 

The  cane  crushing  and  sugar  making  are  at  the  expense  of  the  tenant, 
but  the  landowner  furnishes  the  machinery  and  factory  establishment  and 
takes  the  risk  of  typhoons,  inundations,  droughts,  locusts,  etc.  If  the  tenant 
has  no  means  the  landlord  generally  makes  the  necessary  advances  against 
the  estimated  value  of  the  tenant's  share.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  islands 
the  plantations  are  worked  on  the  daily  wages  system.  The  sugar  produced 
is  of  different  grades  and  the  price  is  according  to  grade. 

The  staple  food  of  the  islanders  is  rice,  which  is  cultivated  more  or  less 
largely  in  every  province,  and  is  the  only  branch  of  agriculture  in  which  the 
lower  classes  of  natives  take  a  visible  pleasure  and  which  they  understand ; 
but  much  of  the  land  formerly  devoted  to  rice  cultivation  is  now  devoted  to 
cultivating  sugar-cane,  which  yields  a  more  valuable  return. 

Hemp  is  another  staple  industry.  The  hemp  plant  grows  in  many  parts 
of  the  islands,  and  the  leaves  so  closely  resemble  those  of  the  banana  that  it 
is  difficult  to  distinguish  between  them,  those  of  the  hemp  plant  being  of  a 
darker  hue  and  greener.  The  plant  appears  to  thrive  best  on  an  inclined 
plane,  and  though  requiring  a  considerable  amount  of  moisture,  it  will  not 


438  OUR   NEW   TERRITORIES. 

thrive  in  swampy  iand,  and  must  be  shaded  by  other  trees  to  attain  any  great 
height.  The  average  height  of  the  tree  is  about  ten  feet,  and  being  endoge- 
nous, the  stem  is  enclosed  in  layers  of  half-round  petioles. 

Preparing  Hemp  for  Shipment. 

The  hemp  fibre  is  extracted  from  these  petioles  which,  when  cut  down, 
are  separated  into  strips,  five  or  six  inches  wide,  and  drawn  under  a  knife 
attached  at  one  end  by  a  hinge  to  a  block  of  wood,  whilst  the  other  end  is 
suspended  to  the  extremity  of  a  flexible  stick.  The  bow  tends  to  raise  the 
knife,  and  a  cord,  attached  to  the  same  end  of  the  knife  and  a  treadle,  is  so 
arranged  that  by  a  movement  of  the  foot,  the  operator  can  bring  the  knife  to 
work  on  the  hemp  petiole  with  the  pressure  he  chooses.  The  last  is  drawn 
through  between  the  knife  and  the  block,  the  operator  twisting  the  fibre,  at 
each  pull,  around  a  stick  of  wood,  while  the  parenchymatous  pulp  remains  on 
the  other  side  of  the  knife.  The  knife  should  be  without  teeth  or  indentations, 
but  it  often  has  a  slightly  serrated  edge.  The  fibre  is  then  spread  out  to  dry 
and  afterwards  tightly  packed  in  bales  with  iron  and  rattan  hoops  for  ship- 
ment. 

Machinery  has  not  been  used  with  satisfactory  results,  and  this  is 
because  the  mechanical  apparatus  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  reduce  the 
tension  of  the  fibre  in  a  strip  of  bast  by  means  of  a  cylinder,  though  experi- 
ments have  been  and  are  being  made,  and  some  are  more  or  less  satisfactory. 
The  plant  is  grown  from  seed  or  suckers  ;  if  seed,  it  requires  about  four  years 
to  arrive  at  cutting  maturity,  and  if  from  suckers,  not  more  than  three  are 
required.  The  stem  should  be  cut  for  fibre  drawing  at  the  flowering  maturity, 
and  in  no  case  should  it  be  allowed  to  bear  fruit,  as  the  fibre  is  thereby  weak- 
ened. As  the  fibre  known  as  Manila  hemp  is  a  specialty  of  the  islands,  com- 
petition and  overproduction  to  the  extent  of  annihilating  profits  are  remote. 

The  cultivation  of  coffee  dates  from  the  early  part  of  the  present  century, 
and  some  of  the  original  trees  are  still  alive  and  bearing  fruit,  but  after 
twenty-five  years  the  tree  does  not  bear  profitably.  The  best  coffee  comes 
from  Sugon  Island,  embracing  the  provinces  of  Batangas,  La  Laguna  and 
Cavite.  There  is  one  crop  gathered  in  the  Philippine  Islands  ;  in  the  West 
Indies  the  beans  are  found  during  eight  months  of  the  twelve,  and  in  Brazil 
there  are  three  gatherings  annually. 

The  tobacco  seed  was  introduced  into  the  Philippines  from  Mexico  by 
Spanish  missionaries  soon  after  the  possession  of  the  islands  by  Spain,  and, 
from  the  islands,  into  the  south  of  China,  in  the  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. The  Spanish  Government  for  a  long  time  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the 
tobacco  trade,  but  the  monopoly  ceased  in  1882.  and  the  cultivation  and  trade 


OUR   NEW   TERRITORIES. 

were  handed  over  to  a  private  enterprise.  The  Manila  cigar  has  a  world 
wide  reputation,  and  under  improved  cultivation  the  quality  can  be  improved. 
In  addition  to  the  industrial  products  named,  the  soil  and  climate  of  the 
islands  are  favorable  to  the  cultivation  of  Indian  corn,  cotton,  chocolate,  and 
the  bamboo,  and  all  kinds  of  tropical  fruit.  It  may  be  said  that  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  under  the  rule  of  a  just  government  and  an  intelligent  system 
of  cultivation,  would  become  rich  in  mineral  and  agricultural  products,  and  a 
valuable  possession,  strategically  and  otherwise. 

Admiral  Dewey's  Achievement. 

If  the  word  failure  was  in  Admiral  Dewey's  lexicon,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  consider  the  position  his  naval  squadron  would  have  been  in  had  the 
Manila  engagement  been  indecisive,  to  conclusively  show  how  important  it  is 
for  the  United  States  to  own  a  base  of  operations  in  Asiatic  seas  and  lands^ 
There  was  not  a  port  in  the  whole  of  Asia  where  Admiral  Dewey  could  have 
gone  to  refit  his  squadron  had  he  met  with  a  reverse.  He  was  excluded  by 
neutrality  proclamations  from  every  port,  save  that  of  his  own  brave  and  loyal 
heart,  which  is  better  than  all,  but  no  naval  commander  was  ever  so  com- 
pletely isolated  from  his  country  as  was  Admiral  Dewey  when  war  was 
declared  between  Spain  and  the  United  States ;  and  such  a  condition  of  affairs 
should  never  be  allowed  to  exist  again. 

The  policy  of  isolation,  which  has  long  been  the  policy  of  the  United 
States,  to  every  proper  extent  ought  to  be  abandoned  for  a  policy  that  will 
safeguard  American  interests  everywhere  against  all  contingencies,  for  the 
most  liberal  and  enlightened  nation  in  the  world  cannot  escape  the  responsi- 
bilities that  attend  liberality  and  enlightenment,  and  has  no  right  to  hide  its 
light  under  a  bushel.  The  rule  of  Spain  in  the  Philippines  is  as  oppressive  as 
Spanish  rule  has  been  in  Cuba,  and  both  of  these  provinces  should  be  freed 
from  a  despotism  which  has  crushed  the  spirit  and  energy  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  sun,  in  his  course,  does  not  shine  upon  any  lands  of  greater  fertility 
than  Cuba  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  upon  none  more  capable  of  pro- 
portionately contributing  to  the  necessities  and  comforts  of  mankind ;  but 
under  the  government  of  Spain  no  progress  has  been  made,  and  honest 
industry  is  denied  the  right  of  just  returns.  With  Hawaii  as  a  part  of  the 
United  States,  Cuba  and  the  Philippines  liberated  from  serfdom,  and  the  Nica- 
ragua canal  cut,  the  position  of  the  United  States  would  be  commanding  in 
both  of  the  great  oceans  of  the  world,  and  enabled  to  foster  commercial 
enterprises  which,  in  all  ages,  have  been  promotive  of  free  institutions.  Other 
nations  should,  not  be  allowed  to  monopolize  commercial  advantages  which 
nature  has  placed  nearest  within  our  reach, 


440  OUR    NEW    TERRITORIES. 

The  following  synopsis  of  the  report  of  Oscar  F.  Williams,  the  American 
Consul  at  Manila,  on  the  trade  relations  of  the  United  States  and  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  will  be  interesting  in  this  connection,  He  says  that  twenty-two 
consulates,  representing  the  leading  commercial  countries  of  the  world,  are 
established  at  Manila.  He  adds  this  surprising  statement :  "  The  volume  of 
the  export  trade  coming  under  my  official  supervision  equals  that  of  my 
twenty-one  consular  colleagues  combined." 

He  then  shows  in  detail  how  the  trade  of  the  Philippines  with  the  United 
States  exceeds  that  of  all  other  countries  combined,  and  is  growing  at  a  rapid 
rate.  As  indicating  the  extent  of  this  trade,  he  says  :  "  To-day  I  have  authen- 
ticated invoices  for  exports  to  the  United  States  amounting  to  $188,606."  He 
says  the  exports  to  this  country  average  $1,000,000  a  month.  The  report 
states  that  216,000  bales  of  hemp  were  exported  during  the  preceding  three 
months.  Of  these,  138,782  went  to  the  United  States  and  77,218  to  Great 
Britain  and  other  countries.  Mr.  Williams  shows  from  this  that  the  United 
States  had  64  per  cent,  of  the  trade  from  the  Philippines  as  against  36  per 
cent,  of  Great  Britain  and  other  countries.  He  says  that  in  1897  the 
increase  of  shipments  to  the  United  States  was  133,000  bales  and  the  decrease 
of  Great  Britain  22,000  bales. 

He  adds:  "Of  the  increase  of  shipments  from  the  Philippines,  those  to  the 
United  States  were  54  per  cent,  greater  than  to  all  other  countries  combined." 

He  also  gives  details  of  the  large  shipments  of  sugar,  tobacco,  hides, 
shells,  indigo  and  coffee.  In  the  item  of  sugar,  which  is  second  in  import- 
ance, the  shipments  to  the  United  States  were  55  per  cent,  of  the  total  to  all 
points.  Under  a  proper  government  the  vast  resources  of  the  Philippines 
could  be  developed,  and  these  tropical  islands  would  become  of  great  value 
and  importance  from  a  commercial  point  of  view.  What  is  needed  is  a  stable 
and  liberal  government,  a  good  system  of  education,  and  abundant  capital  for 
supporting  industries. 

Statistics  of  the  Philippine  Islands. 

Area  (square  miles) 114,326. 

Topography 1,200  islands  (Luzon  largest). 

Character  of  soil Volcanic  origin.    Very  fertile;  vegetable  growth  of  ten  gigantic. 

Climate November  to  March,  fresh  and  cool;  from  April  to  July,  stifling 

heat. 

Rainy  season July  to  October. 

Mean  temperature 72  degrees. 

Products Hemp,   sugar,  coffee,  copra,  tobacco,   indigo,  teak,  ebony, 

cedar,  fruits,  spices. 

Minerals „  Gold,  coal,  iron,  copper,  sulphur,  vermillion. 

Industries Agriculture,  mining,  grazing. 


OUR   NEW   TERRITORIES.  441 

Exports ('96)  $22,000,000. 

Imports ('96)  $12,000,000. 

Shipping ('95)  304  vessels  cleared  principal  ports. 

Telegraph  (miles) 720. 

Railroads  (miles)  ,       ....  220. 

Seaports Manila,  Cavite,  Iloilo. 

Revenue  to  Spain ('95)  $13,280,130  (estimated). 

Expenditure  by  Spain  ....  ('95)  $15,280,130  (estimated). 

.Population 7,670,000. 

Prevailing  races Malays,  Chinese,  savage  tribes,  comparatively  few  Spaniards, 

Prevailing  language Spanish  and  Chinese. 

Prevailing  religion Roman  Catholic. 

Education Of  no  importance. 

Capital,  population Manila,  300,000. 

Largest  city,  population  ..  .    .  Manila. 

Other  cities,  population  .    .    .  See  seaports. 

Possession  of  Spain  since  .    .  1660— Spanish  rule  acknowledged  1829. 

Rivers Very  few,  all  small. 

Mountains Mayon,  Buhayan  (volcanoes). 

Animals Domestic  and  burden  animals  abundant,  no  wild  animals. 

Phenomena Volcanic  eruptions,  typhoons,  earthquakes. 

Wants Freedom  from  heavy  taxation,  schools,  roads,  harbors. 

Distance  from  Washington   .  Twenty-five  days. 

The  Hawaiian  Islands. 

A  study  of  this  new  territory  reveals  some  interesting  facts.  The  islands 
were  discovered  in  1720  by  Captain  Cook,  an  English  navigator.  For  some 
abstruse  reason,  probably  because  they  were  too  far  away  to  be  of  any  service 
to  any  of  her  colonies,  England  never  took  possession  of  the  islands.  In 
fact,  her  course  toward  them  has  been  one  equivalent  to  the  relinquishment 
of  whatever  rights  she  had  to  the  islands. 

Since  the  islands  were  discovered  attempts  have  been  made  to  establish 
a  government  on  them,  once  by  an  English  body  of  colonists,  and  once  by 
French  colonists.  Both,  however,  were  abandoned  in  due  course  of  time, 
neither  the  English  nor  French  Government  thinking  it  wise  or  worth  while 
to  give  official  sanction  to  the  same.  After  awhile  a  monarchy  arose,  but  a 
revolution,  in  which  the  good  offices  of  the  United  States  troops  were  found 
necessary,  put  an  end  to  it.  It  was  this  revolution  which  made  Queen  Lil 
abdicate  the  throne.  Later  on,  the  government  became  a  republic,  and  it 
comes  into  the  United  States  as  such. 

The  Hawaiian  Islands  are  15  in  number,  are  a  little  over  2,500  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  and  have  a  coast  over  800  miles  long.  Altogether  they  com- 
prise about  6,640  square  miles.  The  shortest  distance  between  any  of  the 
islands  is  five  miles,  while  some  of  the  islands  are  at  least  25  miles  apart. 


OUR   NEW  TERRITORIES. 

Five  of  the  islands  do  not  possess  a  single  inhabitant.  The  chief  island  is 
Oahu,  which  contains  600  square  miles,  and  has  a  population  of  40,205.  Upon 
this  island  is  situated  Honolulu,  which  is  the  seat  of  the  government,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  capital  of  the  islands.  The  island  is  almost  entirely  given 
up  to  sugar  plantations,  in  which  at  least  30,000  of  its  people  are  engaged. 

Only  Fourteen  Families. 

The  Island  of  Neehau  contains  97  square  miles,  and  has  a  population  of 
only  14  families.  Ownership  of  it  is  claimed  by  an  Englishman,  who  asserts 
that  he  bought  it  from  the  former  king  of  the  islands.  It  is  given  entirely  to 
grazing,  and  from  30,000  to  40,000  sheep  are  raised  on  it  annually.  The 
Island  of  Keani  contains  590  square  miles,  and  has  a  population  ol  15,392. 
There  is  a  party  of  German  colonists,  who  claim  that  they  own  the  island, 
which  is  entirely  given  up  to  sugar  plantations. 

The  island  that  is  probably  best  known  throughout  the  world  is  Molo- 
kai.  It  comprises  270  square  miles,  and  has  a  population  of  2,307.  It  is  a 
leper  settlement,  and  over  1,200  of  the  residents  are  sufferers  from  leprosy. 
The  island  came  into  great  notoriety  several  years  ago  through  the  death  of 
the  celebrated  Father  Damien,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  contracted  the 
dread  disease  while  ministering  to  the  spiritual  and  temporal  needs  of  those 
who  were  afflicted  with  it.  At  the  island  of  Maui,  which  contains  760  square 
miles,  and  which  has  a  population  of  17,726,  are  the  immense  sugar  planta- 
tions of  Claus  Spreckles,  the  California  sugar  king.  The  island  of  Lauai 
contains  105  •  people,  who  maintain  themselves  by  grazing.  Another  large 
island  is  Hawaii,  which  consists  of  4,210  square  miles,  and  which  has  a  popu- 
lation of  33,285. 

The  chief  product  of  the  islands  is  sugar.  Sugar  forms  99  per  cent,  of 
the  exports  of  the  islands.  In  1897  the  sugar  sent  out  from  the  islands 
amounted  to  the  enormous  total  of  502,000,000  pounds.  The  population  of 
the  islands,  according  to  recent  statistics,  is  about  109,000. 

The  Island  of  Guam. 

The  Marianne  or  Ladrone  Islands  lie  to  the  north  of  the  western  end  of 
the  Caroline  band.  They  are  physically  associated  with  the  Japanese  Islands. 
This  group  has  fifteen  islands  large  enough  to  note.  They  aggregate  about 
440  square  miles  and  have  about  10,000  inhabitants.  The  largest  is  Guam, 
with  200  square  miles  and  7,000  inhabitants.  This  island  was  captured  and 
the  United  States  flag  was  hoisted  over  it  by  officers  and  marines  from  the 
United  States  cruiser  Charleston  on  June  2ist,  1898.  The  Charleston  was  on 
its  way  to  join  Admiral  Dewey's  squadron  at  Manila. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Admiral  Dewey  Homeward  Bound. 

UR  whole  country  hailed  with  enthusiasm  the  announcement  that 
Admiral  Dewey  had  fixed  the  date  of  his  departure  from  the  scene 
of  his  triumphs,  and  would  return  to  the  United  States.  It  was 
the  universal  desire  of  the  people  to  give  him  a  rousing  welcome. 
His  achievements  were  so  brilliant,  his  wise  discretion  was  so  manifest,  his 
conduct  was  so  heroic  and  at  the  same  time  so  modest  and  free  from  ostenta- 
tion, that  all  classes  of  our  citizens  were  ready  to  unite  in  paying  him  the 
honor  due  to  a  conquering  hero. 

On  May  I5th  Professor  Schurman,  President  of  the  Philippine  Commis- 
sion, gave  him  a  farewell  banquet  at  Manila.  The  health  of  the  Admiral  was 
drunk  with  the  utmost  cordiality. 

Saluted  with  Guns  and  National  Airs. 

On  May  2Oth  the  cruiser  Olympia,  with  Admiral  Dewey  on  board,  left 
Manila  on  her  homeward  journey  to  the  United  States.  As  she  steamed 
away  the  Oregon,  Baltimore  and  Concord  fired  an  admiral's  salute.  At  the 
first  shot  the  band  on  the  flagship's  afterdeck  played  a  lively  air,  and  her 
white-clad  sailors  crowded  the  decks  and  gave  a  tremendous  cheer. 

As  the  Olympia  passed  the  Oregon  the  crew  of  that  battleship  gave  nine 
cheers  for  the  Olympians,  who  responded  by  throwing  their  caps  so  high  that 
dozens  of  them  were  left  bobbing  in  the  wake  of  the  cruiser.  Then  followed 
the  noisiest  half  hour  known  in  the  harbor  since  the  battle  which  linked  its 
name  with  that  of  Dewey. 

The  din  of  guns  and  brass  bands  echoed  through  the  smoke,  a  fleet  of 
steam  launches  shrieked  their  whistles,  the  musicians  of  the  Baltimore  played 
"  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  her  flags  signaled  "  Good-bye,"  and  those  of  the 
Oregon  said  "Pleasant  voyage," 

The  merchant  vessels  in  the  bay  dipped  their  flags,  the  ladies  on  the 
decks  of  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  waved  handkerchiefs,  and  the  great,  black 
British  cruiser  Powerful,  which  lay  the  farthest  out,  saluted  the  Olympia. 
The  latter's  band  then  played  "  God  Save  the  Queen,"  and  to  this  the  crew  of 
the  Powerful  responded  with  hearty  cheers  for  the  Olympia.  The  last  music 
heard  from  Admiral  Dcwey's  ship  was  "Auld  Lang  Syne/'  while  the  guns 

443 


444  DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

from  the  forts  at  Cavite  and  from  the  Monterey,  on  guard  off  Paranaque,  too 
far  to  be  audible,  puffed  white  clouds  of  smoke. 

The  Olympia  was  disappearing  beyond  Corregidor  Island  when  a  battery 
before  the  walled  city  spoke  Manila's  last  word  of  farewell.  Admiral  Dewey 
sat  on  the  deck  of  the  Olympia  and  received  the  adieux  of  his  friends  during 
most  of  the  day.  The  launch  of  Major-General  Otis  was  the  first  to  arrive 
alongside  the  cruiser  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  afterwards  the  Admiral 
landed  and  called  upon  the  Major-General  and  the  United  States  Philippine 
commissioners. 

Admiral  Dewey  was  enthusiastic  over  his  home  going,  but  when  men- 
tion was  made  of  the  welcome  to  be  extended  to  him,  he  said  he  appreciated 
the  friendship  of  his  countrymen  deeply,  but  hoped  they  would  not  be  too 
demonstrative.  On  it  being  said  that  people  wanted  him  to  go  home  by  way 
of  San  Francisco  and  across  the  continent,  the  admiral  replied:  "If  I  was 
twenty  years  younger  and  had  political  ambitions  I  would  not  miss  that 
chance." 

An  Enthusiastic  Welcome. 

When  it  was  announced  that  the  Admiral  was  about  to  return  from 
Manila,  one  of  our  most  influential  journals  said: 

"  Admiral  Dewey  is  the  most  universally  wanted  man  in  the  history  of 
the  country.  The  people  of  every  city  in  the  Union  want  to  give  him  a  ban- 
quet, and  a  spontaneous  outpouring  of  their  hearty  welcome,  and  the  Mayors 
of  the  Western  cities  have  united  in  a  cablegram  begging  him  to  return  by 
way  of  California,  and  thus  traverse  the  continent  in  coming  home. 

"  Admiral  Dewey  is  not  only  the  most  popular  man  in  the  country,  but 
no  one,  in  all  the  history  of  the  past  since  Washington,  has  commanded  such 
universal  and  sincere  commendation  from  the  American  people.  They  are 
proud  of  him,  not  only  because  of  his  great  victory  at  Manila,  but  they  are 
specially  proud  of  him  because  he  ranks  to-day  confessedly  as  the  first  naval 
officer  of  the  world,  equally  great  in  battle  and  in  diplomacy,  and  the  Ameri- 
can people  must  be  very  well  satisfied  with  our  President  if  the  name  of 
George  Dewey  does  not  command  the  Presidential  nomination  by  a  sponta- 
neous eruption  of  mingled  pride  and  patriotism.  If  thus  nominated,  the  party 
Readers  could  go  home  ana  sit  down  in  comfort,  allow  the  campaign  to  take 
care  of  itself,  and  await  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  inauguration  of  the 
next-  President." 

Prominent  citizens  of  New  York  City  were  quick  to  act  when  it  became 
known  that  Admiral  Dewey  was  about  to  return,  and  sent  a  cordial  invitation 
to  him  to  accept  the  hospitalities  of  New  York.  To  this  invitation  the 
admiral  replied  as  follows: 


DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND.  445 

"FLAGSHIP  OLYMPIA,  MANILA,  March  15,  1899. 
"ALFRED  CHASSEAUD,  ESQ.: 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  the  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  extending  an  invitation  on  the  part  of  a  committee  from  the  best 
elements  of  the  city  of  New  York  to  a  banquet  in  my  honor. 

"Will  you  kindly  say  to  the  committee  that  it  would  give  me  much 
pleasure  to  meet  them  upon  my  return  to  the  United  States,  but  that  at 
present  it  is  impossible  to  state  when  such  return  will  take  place  ? 

"  Thanking  the  committee  and  yourself  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken, 
and  most  sensible  of  the  honor  done  me,  I  am,  very  sincerely, 

"GEORGE  DEWEY." 

Arrangements  for  a  Great  Reception. 

When  it  became  certain  that  the  Admiral  would  land  in  New  York  and 
would  accept  the  invitation  extended  to  him,  the  city  officials  took  preliminary 
steps  toward  arranging  for  the  reception. 

Controller  Coler  believed  that  it  should  be  more  than  a  New  York  affair. 
He  suggested  that  all  the  important  cities  of  the  country  be  asked  to 
co-operate  in  making  it  a  reception  that  would  go  down  in  history.  It  was 
certain  that  Admiral  Dewey  was  coming  to  New  York,  as  he  had  accepted 
the  invitation  to  the  banquet,  and  Controller  Coler  was  of  the  opinion  that 
other  cities  would  join  in  making  it  a  national  instead  of  a  local  affair.  Con- 
troller Coler  said  :  "  We  should  give  him  a  welcome  such  as  was  never  given 
a  hero  before,  and  it  is  well  to  begin  making  plans  early.  Admiral  Dewey  is 
a  modest  man,  and  would  probably  prefer  that  there  be  little  ceremony  over 
his  return.  But  there  is  another  side — it  is  proper  that  he  be  given  a  recep- 
tion that  will  go  down  in  history.  It  will  inspire  patriotism  and  be  a  lesson 
beneficial  not  only  to  ourselves,  but  to  the  children.  The  demonstration  of 
the  nation's  love  for  such  a  hero  will  make  an  impression  which  they  will 
carry  with  them  through  life  and  which  will  go  to  make  them  good  and  use- 
ful men  and  women.  Whether  it  is  to  be  a  local  or  national  affair,  I  am  in 
favor  of  the  city  contributing  most  liberally." 

Randolph  Guggenheimer,  president  of  the  Council  and  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  said : 

"  Admiral  Dewey  is  deserving  of  a  reception  such  as  was  never  given  in 
New  York  before.  We  should  carefully  study  as  to  how  we  can  best  show 
our  appreciation  of  his  noble  services.  There  should  be  no  sparing  of  money 
or  pains  to  make  our  reception  a  most  successful  and  memorable  affair." 

Accordingly  Mayor  Van  Wyck  sent  New  York's  official  invitation  to 
Admiral  Dewey  to  come  first  to  this  port  on  his  return  home,  that  the  people 


448  DEWEY  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

of  the  country  might  give  him  appropriate  welcome.  He  also  officially 
notified  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Long  of  the  proposed  reception  to  the  hero  of 
Manila.  The  message  Mayor  Van  Wyck  sent  to  Admiral  Dewey  by  cable 
was : 

"  MAYOR'S  OFFICE,  NEW  YORK,  May  n,  1899. 
"  ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY,  Manila  : 

"  The  people  of  the  city  of  New  York  desire  an  opportunity  to  officially 
welcome  you  on  your  return  home.  They  earnestly  request  that  you  first 
reach  America  at  the  city  of  New  York,  the  metropolis  of  the  Western 
Hemisphere,  where  the  fullest  opportunity  can  be  given  the  people  of  this 
country  to  do  appropriate  honor  to  the  hero  of  the  Spanish-American  War. 

"  ROBERT  A.  VAN  WYCK,  Mayor." 

Warm  Words  of  Praise  from  Roosevelt. 

Mayor  Van  Wyck  suggested  that  the  city  government  of  New  York 
make  an  appropriation  of  $150,000  for  the  reception.  The  State  Legislature 
appropriated  $75,000  and  Governor  Roosevelt  promptly  signed  the  bill.  The 
Governor's  message  was  as  follows  : 

"  I  call  to  your  attention  the  desirability  of  making  an  appropriation  to 
provide  for  the  proper  celebration  of  the  return  of  Admiral  Dewey,  an  Ameri- 
can, whom  all  Americans  worthy  of  the  name  delight  to  honor — the  man  who 
at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century  has  added  fresh  renown  to  the  flag  that 
has  already  so  often  been  borne  to  glorious  triumph  in  the  land  and  on  the  sea, 

"  The  thunder  of  Dewey's  guns  in  Manila  Bay  raised  in  a  moment's 
time  the  prestige  of  American  arms  throughout  the  world  and  added  a  new 
honor  to  American  citizenship  at  home  and  abroad  ;  and  his  services  through- 
out the  trying  months  that  followed,  though  less  brilliant,  were  hardly  less 
useful  to  his  country. 

"  It  is  fitting  that  we  should  show  in  appropriate  form  the  high  regard 
we  feel  for  the  great  admiral,  and  for  every  officer  and  sailor  of  his  fleet ;  that 
we  should  testify  our  appreciation  of  the  debt  under  which  this  country  lies 
to  him  and  to  them,  and,  indeed,  to  all  their  comrades  in  our  forces  afloat 
and  ashore.'* 

The  message  was  received  by  the  waiting  members  with  applause. 

Mr.  John  Barrett,  former  United  States  Minister  to  Siam,  having  seen 
Admiral  Dewey  shortly  before  leaving  Siam  to  return  to  this  country,  was 
able  to  say  authoritatively  how  the  Admiral  felt  about  his  home-coming. 

"Admiration  for  Admiral  Dewey  is  by  no  means  confined  to  this 
country,"  said  Mr.  Barrett.  "  His  achievements  have  caused  the  countries  of 
the  Far  East  to  have  a  profound  respect  for  him  and  for  the  United  States.  I 


DEWEY  HOMEWARD   BOUND.  447 

made  a  trip  through  China,  Japan  and  into  Siberia  during  the  winter,  and 
everywhere  I  found  Dewey  was  spoken  of  with  enthusiastic  admiration. 
Germans,  too,  with  whom  I  came  in  contact  spoke  of  him  in  a  laudatory  way. 

"  All  the  cities  along  the  Suez  route  have  been  asking  if  they  would  not 
have  a  chance  to  see  him.  In  returning  to  this  country  I  came  over  the  route 
Admiral  Dewey  will  follow,  and  at  every  port  we  were  asked  if  we  knew 
when  the  Admiral  was  coming.  You  may  rest  assured  that  Admiral  Dewey 
will  seek  to  avoid  a  series  of  ovations.  He  already  appreciates  how  the 
American  people  feel  toward  him,  but  the  celebrating,  or  at  least  the  part  in 
which  he  will  have  to  participate,  ought  to  be  done  all  at  once.  I  know  that 
he  dreads  the  flood  of  invitations  that  will  pour  in  on  him  after  his  arrival. 
He  does  not  feel  able  physically  to  be  feasted  indefinitely.  He  is  not  a 
speech-maker,  he  is  a  man  of  action.  If  he  says  anything  at  a  public  dinner 
given  in  his  honor  I  am  sure  it  will  be  very  brief." 

An  effort  was  begun  in  the  West  to  have  Admiral  Dewey  return  by  way 
of  San  Francisco,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  announced  that  he  was  about  to  start 
on  his  homeward  voyage  invitations  from  western  cities  began  to  pour  in 
upon  him.  The  representative  of  one  of  the  large  transcontinental  railways 
called  at  the  Navy  Department  in  Washington  and  stated  that  if  Admiral 
Dewey  returned  by  way  of  San  Francisco  this  railroad  proposed  to  place  at 
his  service  an  entire  train,  the  finest  that  ever  crossed  the  continent,  and  make 
it  subject  to  his  wishes  as  to  the  places  and  time  of  stops  on  the  way  East. 

It  was  urged  also  that  this  would  give  practically  the  whole  country  an 
opportunity  to  join  in  the  reception  to  the  hero  of  Manila,  instead  of  restrict- 
ing it  to  the  stretch  between  New  York  and  Washington. 

The  Pacific  Coast  Honors  Him. 

On  May  loth  Mayor  Phelan,  of  San  Francisco,  sent  the  following  cable- 
gram : 
"ADMIRAL  DEWEY,  U.  S.  N.,  FLAGSHIP  OLYMPIA,  MANILA: 

"On  behalf  of  our  citizens,  we,  the  mayors  of  Western  cities,  cordially 
invite  you  to  return  by  way  of  San  Francisco,  across  the  great  ocean  which 
was  the  scene  of  your  victory,  and  which  you  have  opened  to  American 
[influence  and  trade.  The  Pacific  coast  cities  feel  especially  grateful  for  the 
protection  you  afforded  them.  The  Olympia  was  built  in  our  yards,  and  the 
volunteers  who  answered  your  call  are  from  Western  homes.  We  are  all 
eager  to  show  our  appreciation  of  your  patriotic  services,  and  would  be  hon- 
ored by  your  acceptance." 

The  message  was  signed  by  the  mayors  of  San  Francisco,  Chicago, 
Omaha,  Denver,  St.  Paul,  New  Orleans,  Portland,  Los  Angeles  and  Seattle. 


448  DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

When  it  was  learned  that  the  Admiral  would  return  by  the  Suez  Canal 
and  land  in  New  York  the  mayors  of  the  greater  cities  of  the  country  rapidly 
agreed  to  the  published  suggestion  that  the  reception  of  Admiral  Dewey 
should  be  national,  instead  of  local,  in  its  character,  and  all  of  them  promised 
their  hearty  support.  Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison,  of  Chicago,  regarded  favor- 
ably the  suggestion  that  the  reception  at  New  York  to  Admiral  Dewey  be 
made  a  national  affair  on  the  occasion  of  the  triumphant  return  of  the  hero  of 
Manila  Bay.  Regarding  the  matter  Mayor  Harrison  said: 

"  If  Admiral  Dewey  comes  home  by  the  way  of  Suez  and  lands  at  New 
York,  such  a  reception  as  proposed  is  a  very  proper  thing  to  have.  I  would, 
of  course,  rather  have  the  affair  in  Chicago,  but  if  that  is  not  possible  I 
would  be  glad  to  have  Chicago  participate  in  the  honors  tendered  the  Admiral 
wherever  he  may  land.  Nothing  is  too  good  or  on  too  large  a  scale  for 
Admiral  Dewey.  On  the  invitation  of  the  New  York  authorities  I  would 
immediately  appoint  a  suitable  committee  of  representative  citizens  and  offi- 
cials to  co-operate  with  others  in  tendering  Admiral  Dewey  the  honors 
due  him." 

"As  I  have  already  stated,"  said  Mayor  Henry  Ziegenheim,  of  St.  Louis, 
regarding  the  proposed  welcome  to  be  extended  to  Admiral  Dewey,  on  his 
return  to  this  country,  "  I  am  in  favor  of  making  the  demonstration  the 
greatest  of  its  kind  the  world  has  ever  seen.  Dewey  is  the  hero  of  the  cen- 
tury, and  he  is  worthy  of  a  welcome  that  will  be  national  in  character.  If 
the  affair  is  to  be  made  general,  St.  Louis  will,  of  course,  send  an  official 
delegation  of  municipal  and  business  representatives.  We  want  to  be  the 
foremost  in  the  movement,  as  becomes  the  rank  of  the  city,  and  I  for  one  will 
do  all  I  can  to  further  the  plan.  Other  cities  should  take  similar  steps. 

Prom  the  Metropolis  of  the  West. 

•'  No  matter  where  the  reception  is  to  be  held,  we  will  be  represented. 
New  York  seems  the  most  favorable  point,  and  if  the  metropolis  of  the 
country  is  selected  you  can  put  me  down  as  being  in  hearty  accord  with  the 
arrangement." 

Colonel  Frank  L.  Moores,  Mayor  of  Omaha,  was  enthusiastically  in 
favor  of  the  suggestion  that  the  reception  to  Admiral  Dewey  should  be  made 
a  national  affair.  "  I  will  see  to  it,"  said  the  Mayor,  "  that  Omaha  enters 
heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and  as  soon  as  plans  are  formulated 
from  New  York,  Omaha's  delegates  will  be  appointed.  The  West  desires  to 
be  represented,  and  the  West  cannot  be  properly  represented  without  the 
presence  ol  Omaha.  I  believe  the  people  should  be  given  the  opportunity  to 
express  their  appreciation  of  gallant  services  performed  by  the  hero  of  Manila 


DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND.  449 

Bay,  and  I  will  be  glad  to  contribute  to  the  success  in  any  way  possible. 
Surely  the  reception  should  be  national  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  word." 

Mayor  Josiah  Quincy,  said :  "  I  think  it  would  certainly  be  fitting  that 
any  reception  to  Admiral  Dewey  should  be  national  in  its  character,  and  that 
representatives  of  the  chief  cities  of  the  country  should  attend  it." 

All  the  other  principal  cities  expressed  similar  views,  and  it  was  plain 
that  the  reception  to  the  hero  of  Manila  would  be  a  national  demonstration. 
It  could  not  be  expected  that  he  would  be  able  to  visit  all  the  cities  ready  to 
I  welcome  him,  but  all  the  towns  could  send  representatives  to  New  York  to 
convey  their  greetings  and  express  their  appreciation  of  the  great  and  distin- 
guished services  the  Admiral  had  rendered  his  country. 

A  committee  of  1500  citizens  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  to 
manage  the  demonstration,  and  having  called  the  committee  together  the 
mayor  said : 

"  The  demonstration  in  honor  of  Admiral  Dewey  must  assume  such  pro- 
portions as  to  convince  the  whole  civilized  world  that  in  free  America,  where 
every  citizen  is  a  sovereign,  the  people  know  how  to  do  honor  to  American 
heroes." 

The  Whole  Country  Joins. 

S.  B.  Chittenden,  who  was  Register  of  the  Treasury  under  President  Lin- 
coln, offered  this  resolution  : 

u  WHEREAS  the  fame  of  Admiral  Dewey  is  the  property  of  the  nation 
and  cannot  be  exclusively  appropriated  by  any  political  party,  State  or  muni- 
cipality, therefore. 

"  Resolved,  That  any  attempt  by  any  person  or  party,  by  contributions  of 
money  or  otherwise,  to  establish  a  claim  upon  his  gratitude  or  to  secure  his 
recognition  would  restrict  his  freedom  of  action,  and  deserves  the  severest 
reprehension  of  the  American  people. 

'*  Resolved,  That  His  Honor  the  Mayor,  in  his  efforts  to  extend  to  our 
victorious  Admiral  when  his  flagship  anchors  in  our  harbor  a  reception  and  a 
welcome  which  shall  be  strictly  national,  free  from  any  taint  of  sect  or  party, 
in  which  all  our  people  may  unite,  and  which  shall  be  alike  worthy  of  the 
great  naval  commander  of  his  time  and  of  the  greatest  city  on  the  Western 
Continent,  shall  have  the  firm  and  united  support  of  this  committee  of  her. 
citizens." 

While  these  vast  preparations  for  celebrating  the  Admiral's  return  were 
going  on,  he  was  turning  the  prow  of  his  ship  westward  on  a  leisurely  voyage, 
intending  to  stop  at  important  ports  and  arrive  home  after  a  trip  lasting  several 
months. 

For  over  a  week  before  his  departure  from  Manila  it  was  known  that  he 
Ifr-P 


450  DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

would  visit  the  port  of  Hong  Kong,  in  which  he  was  a  prominent  figure  before 
the  Spanish-American  war,  and  as  a  consequence  preparations  had  been  made 
to  give  him  a  rousing  reception.  In  all  the  public  buildings  of  the  city  and 
in  a  majority  of  the  business  houses  and  residences  there  were  elaborate  and 
tasteful  decorations,  while  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  ships  of  almost  all  nationali- 
ties that  lay  quietly  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  were  clothed  in  gay  bunting  from 
stem  to  stern.  Wherever  an  American  flag  could  be  obtained  it  was  eagerly 
seized  upon  and  lifted  proudly  to  the  breeze,  in  most  cases  in  immediate 
proximity  to  the  Union  Jack  of  old  England. 

It  was  during  the  cool  hours  of  the  morning  that  the  Olympia  steamed 
slowly  in  from  sea  and  dropped  anchor  almost  opposite  the  Government 
House.  As  usual  a  large  number  of  people  promenaded  the  esplanades  look- 
ing on  the  harbor.  Scarcely  a  breeze  fanned  the  air,  and  while  all  was  bustle 
on  the  wharves  the  town  itself  was  enjoying  the  quiet  hours  of  the  day. 
Suddenly  the  booming  of  cannon  from  war-ships  and  forts  announced  the 
Olympia's  arrival,  and  with  little  wreaths  of  smoke  curling  upwards  from  her 
port  and  starboard  guns  the  flagship  of  Admiral  Dewey  was  discerned  feeling 
her  way  through  a  perfect  forest  of  sea-going  craft  to  her  anchorage  nearer 
the  town. 

Cordial  Welcome  at  Hong  Kong. 

A  glorious  welcome — a  welcome  sincere,  spontaneous  and  whole-hearted 
was  given  her.  Forts  vied  with  warships  in  burning  powder,  every  steam 
craft  at  the  wharves  or  in  the  harbor  blew  her  whistle,  and  as  she  steamed 
slowly  to  her  anchorage  the  flag  of  almost  every  nation  in  the  globe  was 
dipped  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  rigging  of  every  ship  was  crowded  with 
jack  tars,  from  the  Englishman  to  the  Lascar. 

At  1 1  o'clock  the  launch  of  the  Olympia  shot  from  the  warship's  port 
side  and  steamed  rapidly  landward.  It  contained  Admiral  Dewey,  Captain 
Lamberton,  Commander  of  the  Olympia ;  Lieutenant  Brumby  and  Rounse* 
velle  Wildman,  the  United  States  Consul  General  at  Hong  Kong,  who  had 
boarded  the  warship  immediately  on  her  arrival.  The  admiral's  visit  ashore 
was  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  respects  to  Sir  Henry  A.  Blake,  the  Gover- 
nor of  Hong  Kong,  whom  Dewey  had  known  when  Sir  Henry  was  Governor 
'of  Jamaica. 

The  Custom  House  landing  was  a  mass  of  people  when  Admiral  Dewey 
set  his  foot  ashore.  The  Royal  Welsh  Fusilliers  formed  the  guard  of  honor, 
and  there  was  also  present  a  detachment  of  marines.  When  the  Admiral 
landed  the  regimental  colors  of  the  warriors  of  the  little  principality  of  Wales 
were  presented  and  the  government  bav.d  struck  up  the  strains  of  "  The  Star* 


DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND.  451 

Spangled  Banner."     People  cheered  themselves  hoarse,  and  it  was  with  diffi 
culty  they  could  be  kept  back  from  the  rush. 

The  meeting  between  Admiral  and  governor  was  a  most  cordial  one,  and 
after  a  half  hour's  stay  at  the  Government  House  the  former  returned  to  his  ship* 
which  was  shortly  afterwards  visited  by  the  governor  and  his  staff.  Sir  Henry 
courteously  placed  the  Government  House  at  Admiral  Dewey's  disposal  dur- 
ing his  visit.  This  hospitality  the  Admiral  was  forced  to  decline,  as  owin  gto 
the  condition  of  his  health  he  preferred  to  reside  while  in  Hong  Kong  in  a 
house  on  one  of  the  peaks  adjoining  the  city,  where  the  atmosphere  is  much 
cooler.  For  the  same  reason,  and  much  to  the  regret  of  the  governor  and 
his  official  family,  he  declined  a  pressing  invitation  to  attend  a  dinner  at  the 
Government  House  in  honor  of  the  Queen's  birthday. 

The  United  States  cruiser  Olympia,  with  Admiral  Dewey  on  board, 
arrived  at  Colombo,  Ceylon,  at  6  o'clock  A.M.,  June  22,  saluted  the  forts 
ashore  and  was  saluted  by  the  latter  in  return.  An  aide-de-camp,  repre- 
senting the  governor  of  Ceylon,  Right  Hon.  Sir  Joseph  West  Ridgeway, 
boarded  the  Olympia  at  7  o'clock  in  order  to  welcome  Admiral  Dewey,  and 
Colonel  Savage,  commanding  the  troops,  called  at  10  o'clock. 

Colombo  in  Brilliant  Array. 

The  visits  were  returned  by  Admiral  Dewey  at  II  o'clock.  He  was 
received  at  the  jetty  by  a  guard  of  honor  and,  amid  cheering,  drove  in  the 
governor's  carriage  to  breakfast  with  Colonel  Savage.  The  Admiral  after- 
wards booked  rooms  at  the  Galloface  Hotel  and  returned  on  board  the 
Olympia  at  I  o'clock.  There  he  received  a  deputation  representing  the 
Planters'  Association  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  was  presented 
with  a  silver  casket  and  an  address  as  a  memento  of  his  visit. 

The  presentation  of  the  casket  to  Admiral  Dewey  was  made  on  board 
the  Olympia  instead  of  in  the  council  chamber,  because  his  doctor  had  for* 
bidden  him  to  participate  in  any  official  function.  The  delegates  also  pre- 
sented a  thousand  pounds  of  tea  to  the  crew  of  the  Olympia. 

The  Admiral,  replying  to  the  address  of  welcome,  said  he  wished  he 
could  reply  in  adequate  terms,  reciprocating  the  sentiments  expressed.  But, 
he  added,  he  spoke  from  his  heart  when  he  said  he  deeply  appreciated  the 
welcome.  Admiral  Dewey  added  that  he  would  have  the  very  acceptable 
xpresent  of  tea  distributed  as  desired,  incidentally  mentioning  that  he  was  a 
life-long  tea-drinker  himself,  and  assuring  the  delegation  that  the  address 
would  be  read  at  "muster"  and  afterwards  framed  and  preserved.  The 
casket,  he  remarked,  he  would  always  keep  on  his  table,  and  would  report 
the  matter  to  his  government  and  describe  the  cor  diality  of  his  reception. 


452  DEWEY   HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

Continuing,  Admiral  Dewey  remarked:  "That  cheer  raised  on  the  jetty 
when  I  landed  went  to  the  hearts  of  all  of  us.  We  are  fourteen  thousand 
miles  from  home,  but  that  cheer  will  be  heard  in  America,  although  the 
way  in  which  it  has  touched  me  I  shall  never  be  able  to  fully  express. 

"  The  two  nations  were  never  so  closely  allied  by  mutual  sympathy  and 
appreciation  as  now.  The  American  people  realized  this  during  the  late  war, 
and  you  can  imagine  how  all  those  who  were  at  Manila  and  met  Sir  Edward 
Chichester  (commander  of  the  British  first-class  cruiser  Immortalite)  and  his 
•gallant  comrades,  hold  that  feeling  very  deeply." 

f  The  same  cordial  welcome  greeted  the  Admiral  at  every  port  he  visited 
on  his  voyage  home.  It  was  a  continuous  series  of  ovations,  the  officials  of 
the  various  nations  vying  with  one  another  to  honor  him  and  express  their 
cordial  feeling  toward  the  United  States.  He  accepted  the  demonstrations  as 
intended  not  merely  for  himself,  but  for  his  brave  men  and  the  flag  under 
which  they  fought. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Construction  and  Equipment  of  Our  Great  Battleships. 

HE  putting  together  of  a  modern  warship  is  certainly  interesting 
enough  to  attract  attention,  but  in  the  old  order  of  things  its  very 
familiarity  has  made  our  shipyards  very  little  frequented,  save  on 
some  gala  occasion,  such  as  a  launch.  Then  the  battleship  is  seen 
as  it  nears  completion,  but  no  idea  is  gained  of  the  stages  through  which  it 
passes  to  reach  that  point.  It  is  worth  one's  while  to  spare  a  moment  to 
gain  an  insight  into  the  general  methods  of  procedure  in  building,  and  to 
follow  the  evolution  of  the  craft  from  its  planning  to  its  completion. 

The  evolution  of  a  battleship  starts  in  the  mould  loft,  when  the  future 
vessel  is  laid  off  to  her  full  size  to  enable  those  responsible  for  the  work  to 
test  the  accuracy  of  the  drawings  and  gauge  with  exactitude  the  quantities  of 
various  material  which  will  be  required. 

Wonderful  Engineering  Skill. 

The  laying-off  and  coincident  preparation  of  the  framing  occupy  some 
considerable  time,  but  after  two  or  three  months  of  preparation  all  is  ready 
and  the  slipway  on  which  the  leviathan  is  to  grow  is  prepared  for  the  laying 
of  the  keel,  an  operation  requiring  the  greatest  possible  care,  inasmuch  as  the 
least  deviation  from  the  line  shown  in  the  drawings  would  materially  interfere 
with  the  navigable  quality  of  the  completed  ship. 

The  keel  satisfactorily  laid,  the  next  process  consists  in  the  building  up 
of  the  great  ribs  destined  to  support  the  vessel's  skin  and  armor,  and  to  give 
her  form  and  strength,  and  the  framing  and  heavy  steel  deck  beams,  which 
have  been  prepared  in  the  smith's  shop,  are  brought  alongside  the  slips  and 
one  by  one  attached  to  the  keel  and  united  by  cross  pieces  which  keep  them 
in  position. 

A  week  or  two  sees  the  framework  strung  together,  and  the  future  iron- 
clad looms  in  the  air,  when  viewed  from  the  sloping  ground,  like  a  Brobding- 
nagian  toast  rack.  After  careful  inspection  and  minute  investigation  of  every 
angle  and  every  joint,  the  skin  of  the  battleship  is  brought  from  the  steel  works 
in  the  form  of  square  sheets  of  hard  metal,  each  accurately  pierced  at  frequent 
intervals  in  places  proper  to  the  reception  of  rivets,  and  these  are  affixed  to 
the  framing  until  the  whole  is  closed  in,  and  the  toast  rack  becomes  a  hull. 

453 


CONSTRUCTION   OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS. 

The  plating  completed,  the  process  is  continued  by  the  fixing  of  the  armor, 
the  quantity  and  position  varying  in  different  cases. 

And  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  armor  is  the  most  costly  constituent  of 
the  completed  battleship.  The  most  improved  form  of  armor-plate  is  made 
of  Harveyized  nickel  steel,  capable  of  infinitely  greater  resistance  than  any 
other  substance  known,  but  making  up  for  its  extra  hardness  by  a  fully  pro- 
portionate increase  in  cost. 

The  thickness  and  size  of  the  plates  vary  in  different  parts  of  the  ship,  a  t 
fair  average  being  14  feet  by  7  feet,  with  a  thickness  of  4^  inches,  and  the 
first  cost  of  such  a  plate  is  at  present  over  $$ooo.  As  from  three  to  four 
hundred  similar  plates  are  required  for  the  armor  of  a  full-sized  battleship, 
it  will  be  understood  that  this  item  plays  a  very  important  part  in  naval 
estimates. 

The  period  requisite  for  the  achievement  of  the  various  processes  enu- 
merated averages  about  three  months  from  the  laying  of  the  keel,  or  six  from 
the  receipt  of  orders,  and  as  soon  as  the  armor  is  completed  and  the  plating 
of  the  decks,  which  has  been  in  progress  the  while,  accomplished,  the  hull  is 
ready  for  launching,  and  amid  a  profuse  display  of  bunting,  the  gigantic  hull, 
with  its  400  feet  of  length,  glides  down  the  greased  ways  and  takes  to  the 
element  on  which  her  future  influence  is  to  be  felt. 

The  Launching  of  a  Warship. 

The  launching  of  a  man-of-war  marks  the  middle  point  in  her  evolution. 
The  remaining  processes  occupy  approximately  the  same  length  of  time  as 
those  which  have  gone  before.  They  commence  with  a  fitting  of  the  wooden 
decks,  the  construction  of  the  numerous  bulkheads,  building  up  of  the  turrets, 
cradles  and  shields,  erection  of  the  magazines,  and  fitting  of  ammunition  lifts 
and  torpedo  tubes.  While  these  operations  are  in  progress  between  decks, 
the  boilers  and  machinery  are  lowered  into  their  places  in  the  hold. 

While  the  "  black  squad  "  are  engaged  in  making  day  hideous  with  the 
clang  of  rivet-driving,  the  carpenters  take  possession  of  the  officers'  and  men's 
quarters,  and  fit  them  up  in  accordance  with  the  details  of  the  original  plans. 
And  then  the  guns,  huge  and  bright,  monster  messengers  of  death  con- 
structed with  devilish  ingenuity,  are  brought  out  from  the  ordnance  factory 
and  slung  into  their  appointed  turrets,  or  barbettes,  while  the  smaller  quick- 
firing  and  machine  guns  are  allotted  their  several  destinations. 

Then  comes  the  last  stage,  excepting  for  the  final  overhaul,  and  the  ship 
is  coaled  and  taken  down  the  river  and  out  to  sea  for  her  series  of  trials,  first 
for  the  satisfaction  of  the  constructors,  later  on  for  the  criticism  of  inspectors 
representing  her  purchasers.  And  it  is  a  wonderful  thing  how  rarely  it 


CONSTRUCTION    OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS.        455 

happens  that  the  newly-created  battleship  fails  to  perform  any  of  the  functions 
stipulated  for  in  the  original  contract. 

The  trials  over,  the  leviathan  returns  to  the  yard  for  a  final  rub-up,  her 
magazines  are  charged  with  shot  and  shell,  her  cabins  receive  their  furniture 
her  pantries  their  crockery,  and,  complete  to  the  minutest  detail,  she  is 
handed  over  to  the  official  who  attends  for  the  purpose,  a  new  factor  in  the 
naval  effectiveness  of  nations. 

The  cost  of  a  vessel  such  as  that  above  referred  to,  assuming  a  measure- 
ment of  14,000  tons  and  a  speed  of  20  knots,  will  average  about  $4,500,000, 
proportioned  as  follows:  armor,  $1,750,000;  hull,  $1,500,000;  machinery, 
$375,000;  guns  and  torpedo  tubes,  $500,000,  and  her  building  will  give 
employment  to  from  800  to  900  workmen. 

Of  the  battleships  in  the  United  States  Navy  doing  good  service  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  war  the  Cramps  are  responsible  for  the  Iowa,  the  largest 
and  most  formidable  of  our  battleships  ;  the  Indiana  and  the  Massachusetts,  the 
Baltimore,  the  Philadelphia,  the  Newark  and  the  Terror,  the  Yorktown,  and 
the  Vesuvius  and  the  Yantic.  To  these  must  be  added  the  Alabama,  a  mon- 
ster of  destruction.  This  is  indeed  a  formidable  array.  In  addition  to  the 
American  navy,  which  has  been  supplied  from  the  big  yard,  other  navies 
have  complimented  its  skill  by  orders,  as  the  Kasagi,  for  Japan,  and  the  con- 
tracts with  Russia  testify. 

The  Gigantic  Majestic. 

The  biggest  battleship  in  the  world  is  in  the  British  navy,  the  Majestic. 
It  outclasses  any  ship  afloat  in  tonnage,  armament  and  armor,  although  its 
destructive  power  remains  still  to  be  displayed.  Another  English-built 
monster  is  the  unarmored  battleship  constructed  at  the  Elswick  Yards  at  New- 
castle, England,  for  the  imperial  Japanese  navy.  The  monster  has  a  displace- 
ment of  15,000  tons  and  a  phenomenal  speed,  which,  it  is  said,  makes  her  the 
most  formidable  vessel  afloat. 

The  length  of  this  imposing  battleship  is  rather  over  400  feet,  and  her 
extreme  breadth  75  feet,  6  inches ;  she  draws  only  27  feet  of  water,  and 
carries  1,500  tons  of  coal,  this  being  more  than  is  possible  in  any  existing 
man-of-war.  The  armament  of  the  unnamed  monster  is  very  similar  to 
the  Majestic,  comprising  four  1 2-inch  and  fourteen  6-inch  guns,  twenty 
12-pounders,  twelve  3-pounders  and  five  torpedo  tubes.  Her  keel  was  laid 
on  January  10  last,  1898.  The  contract  price  of  the  stupendous  battleship  is 
reported  to  have  been  enormous,  while  it  is  said  her  armor-plating  alone  cost 
close  on  to  $2,500,000. 

The  Elswick  yards  built  a  formidable  monster,  the  O'Higgins,  for  Chili. 


456         CONSTRUCTION   OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS. 

The  Elswick  yards  are  the  largest  in  the  world.  In  recent  warfare  they 
have  been  the  parent  of  the  bulk  of  the  combatants  on  both  sides.  At  the 
battle  of  the  Yalu  no  fewer  than  four  of  the  Japanese  and  five  of  the  Chinese 
fleet  were  Elswick-built,  and  a  remarkable  feat  was  performed  after  the  battle 
by  the  Yoshino,  which  went  for  twenty-four  hours  at  forced  draught  at  a 
stretch.  Notwithstanding  the  immense  strain  caused  by  this  feat,  the  Yoshino 
was  not  in  the  least  affected. 

It  is  only  a  question  of  time,  however,  when  American  yards  will  take  their 
place  beside  the  English  in  shipbuilding.  The  formidable  craft  turned  out  are 
recommendation  enough,  and  the  Russian  battleships  built  in  America  will  not 
be  the  last  contracted  for  by  a  foreign  country. 

In  every  engagement  which  permits  their  use,  we  read  of  the  effective 
work  done  by  the  4-inch  guns.  The  main  batteries  of  all  the  gunboats  in  the 
navy  are  made  up  of  4-inch  rapid-fire  rifles,  which  are  altogether  the  most 
popular  weapons  in  the  service  for  offensive  and  defensive  purposes  on  the 
lighter  vessels.  The  Castine,  the  Helena,  the  Machias,  the  Nashville  and  the 
Wilmington  are  each  equipped  with  eight  of  these  guns,  while  the  Annapolis, 
the  Marietta,  the  Newport,  the  Princeton,  the  Vicksburg  and  the  Wheeling 
each  mount  six  of  them.  The  Bancroft  relies  upon  four,  and  the  Dolphin 
upon  two  as  their  chief  fighting  powers. 

Batteries  and  Guns. 

Even  the  formidable  Iowa  has  six  of  them  upon  her  superstructure  to 
deter  the  approach  of  torpedo-boats,  and  the  armored  cruiser  New  York 
mounts  twelve  in  her  secondary  battery.  The  fastest  two  vessels  in  the  navy, 
the  Columbia  and  the  Minneapolis,  have  eight  apiece,  and  the  double-turret 
monitor  Puritan  is  provided  with  six  to  support  her  four  1 2-inch  monsters. 
The  chief  advantage  of  these  guns  lies  in  their  extreme  rapidity  of  fire  and 
ease  of  manipulation,  while  their  penetrating  power  at  all  ranges  enables 
their  projectiles  easily  to  pierce  all  unarmored  cruisers  and  lightly  protected 
gun  positions. 

This  gun  of  four  inches  calibre  weighs,  without  its  mount,  one  and  one-half 
tons,  or  exactly  3,400  pounds.  Its  length  is  13.7  feet,  and  its  greatest  outside 
diameter  is  13  inches,  its  total  length  of  bore  being  157.5  inches,  and  the 
length  of  rifle  bore  128.12  inches.  The  twist  of  its  rifling  begins  at  zero  and 
increases  to  I  in  25,  there  being  30  grooves.  It  fires  a  33-pound  shell  with 
14  pounds  of  smokeless  powder,  which  develops  a  muzzle  velocity  of  2,000 
feet  a  second  and  a  muzzle  energy  of  915  foot  tons.  Such  a  shot  will  per- 
forate a  seven-inch  plate  near  the  muzzle  and  will  go  clear  through  a  five-inch 
plate  at  1,500  yards'  distance.  Ordinary  crews  on  all  the  gunboats  get  a 


CONSTRUCTION   OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS.        457 

rapidity  of  fire  of  six  a  minute  out  of  these  four-inch  rifles,  four  men  hand 
ling  the  ammunition,  while  two  sight  the  piece  and  fire  it. 

This  speed  enables  a  four-inch  gun  to  throw  as  much  weight  in  a  given 
time  as  the  five-inch  rifle,  which  is  practically  twice  its  size,  the  latter  weigh- 
ing three  tons  and  firing  under  the  best  conditions  four  5O-pound  shells  in  a 
minute.  The  best  penetration  of  the  five-inch  rifle  is  barely  an  inch  more 
than  that  of  the  four-inch  at  all  ranges,  but  in  ten  minutes  the  four-inch  gun 
will  throw  60  well-aimed  shots,  while  the  five-inch  cannot  be  relied  upon  to 
throw  more  than  30. 

Mention  is  often  made  during  these  war-like  days  of  the  great  speed  of 
projectiles  fired  from  modern  guns.  The  velocity  ranges  from  1,500  to  3,000 
feet  per  second.  It  is  computed  that  the  average  velocity  of  the  larger  guns 
on  the  cruiser  New  York  is  2.100  feet  per  second.  To  the  uninitiated  the 
way  in  which  this  is  found  out  should  be  of  interest.  In  the  first  place  it  may 
be  stated  that  one  cannot  time  a  projectile  as  one  would  a  horse.  Some  of 
them  can  be  seen  as  they  rush  through  the  air.  It  is  a  favorite  amusement 
during  the  battery  drill  with  the  old  seacoast  guns  at  West  Point  to  stand 
behind  and  slightly  above  the  gun  and  watch  the  projectile  from  the  moment 
it  leaves  the  muzzle  until  it  strikes  the  target  painted  on  old  Crow's  Nest 
Mountain,  about  a  mile  away. 

Sharp  Eyes  Can  Trace  the  Shell. 

Spectators  with  good  eye-sight  can  also  see  the  shell  fired  from  the  larger 
mortar  rise  to  the  height  of  its  course  and  then  descend  with  a  rush  upon  the 
mountain  top,  a  mile  and  a  half  away,  where  it  bursts  into  many  pieces.  It 
is  reported  that  during  the  bombardment  of  Santiago  the  shells  of  the  cruiser 
New  Orleans  could  be  followed  by  the  eye.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  use 
of  smokeless  powder,  which  permitted  clear  vision. 

But  in  case  of  smaller  projectiles,  with  greater  velocity,  it  is  impossible 
to  see  them  during  a  fight.  But  whether  they  can  be  seen  or  not,  it  is  quite 
out  of  the  question  to  time  them  as  one  would  a  race,  by  simply  using  the 
eye  and  a  stop-watch.  The  least  hesitation  in  pushing  the  spring  would  make 
a  difference  of  hundreds  of  feet  in  the  distance  traveled.  Errors  such  as  these 
would  make  the  results  of  no  practical  value.  Our  small  arm  shoots  a  bullet 
only  one-third  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  travels  2,000  feet  in  a  second,  or 
a  mile  in  three.  It  goes  so  fast  that  it  becomes  hot  to  the  touch,  due  to  the 
resistance  of  the  air  which  it  pushes  aside.  Strange  to  say,  the  heated  bullet 
will  cauterize  the  wound  of  its  own  making,  and  few  of  the  wounded  in  our 
war  with  Spain  will  bleed  to  death  unless  struck  in  a  vital  spot. 

The  projectile  has,  besides  the  forward  velocity,  a  rotational  velocity, 


458         CONSTRUCTION   OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS. 

which  is  given  to  it  by  the  rifling  of  the  gun.  Otherwise,  since  its  length  is 
much  greater  than  its  diameter,  it  would  soon  begin  to  turn  end  on.  The 
rifling  prevents  this  by  causing  the  bullet  to  bore  a  path  through  the  air,  and 
the  higher  the  forward  velocity  the  higher,  too,  must  be  the  rotational.  The 
turning  over  and  over  would  destroy  the  range  and  the  accuracy  of  the  gun. 

The  determination  of  the  forward  velocity  is  now  made  with  extreme 
accuracy.  The  knowledge  of  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  military 
science.  The  following  method  is  the  one  adopted  by  all  nations  for  findingj 
the  velocity  of  a  projectile  at  any  point  of  its  path  after  leaving  the  muzzle  of 
the  gun.  It  is  so  simple  that  a  brief  explanation  of  it  will  make  it  intelligible  to 
all.  Two  screens,  so  closely  strung  with  copper  wire  that  a  projectile  in  pass- 
ing through  must  break  one  or  more  of  the  strands,  are  placed  fifty  yards 
apart.  The  wire  on  each  screen  is  connected  with  a  battery  which  sends  a 
current  through  it,  and  two  instruments,  one  called  a  disjunctor,  the  other  the 
chronograph.  Although  both  circuits  pass  through  these  instruments,  yet 
they  are  kept  distinct  and  separate. 

The  chronograph  answers  the  purpose  of  a  stop-watch  of  the  greatest 
accuracy.  Two  bars  are  held  up  by  the  electric  magnrts  ;  the  currents  flowing 
in  one  magnet  also  flow  through  its  respective  screen,  while  the  current  of  the 
other  passes  through  the  second  screen.  The  disjunctor  is  an  instrument 
which  is  used  to  break  both  circuits  at  the  same  instant. 

The  Process  Described 

As  soon  as  this  is  done,  the  bars  fall,  since  the  electro-magnets  cease  to 
act  when  there  is  no  current  flowing  through  them.  The  bar  connected  with 
the  first  screen  falls  upon  a  small  platform,  which  releases  L  wedge-shaped 
piece  of  metal.  This  strikes  the  bar  connected  with  the  second  screen,  leaving 
a  wedge-shaped  slit  in  it  as  a  line  of  reference  during  the  experiments. 

This  being  done,  the  currents  are  established  again  and  the  rods  placed 
once  more  under  the  influence  of  the  electro-magnets.  Let  a  3.2-inch  rifle 
whose  muzzle  velocity  is  to  be  found  be  placed  in  front  of  the  first  screen. 
The  gun  is  aimed,  fired,  and  its  projectile  passes  quicker  than  the  roar  of  the 
discharge  through  the  first  screen,  some  of  its  wires ;  in  another  instant  it  is 
through  the  second  screen,  destroying  its  electric  current,  and  at  lasts  finds  a 
resting  place  in  some  distant  sand  pile.  The  break  in  each  circuit  is  communi- 
cated to  all  parts  of  the  line  instantly.  If  the  times  at  which  both  occur  can 
be  determined  the  problem  is  solved. 

For  instance,  let  the  time  it  took  to  pass  over  the  fifty  yards  be  .075  of  a 
second.  Then  dividing  the  one  by  the  other  gives  2,OOO  feet  per  second  as  the 
velocity  of  the  projectile.  The  time  is  found  by  accurately  measuring  the 


CONSTRUCTION   OF   OUR   GREAT   BATTLESHIPS.        459 

distance  between  the  first  dent,  the  origin,  and  the  second  dent,  caused  by  the 
projectile  breaking  the  circuits  at  different  times. 

To  illustrate  the  principle  involved :  If  the  projectile  be  of  low  velocity 
the  distance  will  be  greater  than  if  it  traveled  at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  since 
the  first  rod  would  have  a  longer  time  to  fall  before  the  second  starts.  If  the 
distance  be,  say,  one  inch,  then  from  the  law  of  falling  bodies  the  time  for  that 
fall  can  readily  be  found,  and  this  will  be  the  time  it  took  the  projectile  to 
travel  over  the  fifty  yards  between  the  screens.  Expressed  mathematically, 
this  law  is  that  the  time  of  fall  is  equal  to  twice  the  distance  of  fall  divided  by 
gravity. 

So  accurate  is  this  determination  that  the  velocity  of  the  swiftest  projec- 
tile can  be  found  to  the  fraction  of  a  foot.  This  means  the  measurement  of 
time  to  the  thousandth  part  of  a  second — a  fraction  too  small  to  comprehend. 
The  trajectory  of  a  projectile  is  the  path  it  travels,  and  the  way  of  discovering 
it  is  simple.  Screens  are  put  up  in  line  at  intervals  of  100  yards.  These  are 
covered  with  target  cloth  and  are  so  built  that  they  can  be  raised  or  lowered 
by  ropes  running  over  pulleys,  which  are  in  the  framework  that  supports  the 
screens. 

The  rifle  is  put  in  a  vise,  the  muzzle  being  at  the  same  height  as  the  dis- 
tant bull's  eye.  Upon  the  discharge  of  the  gun  the  bullet  will  leave  a  hole  in 
each  screen,  and  from  these  its  trajectory  is  easily  deduced  and  transferred  to 
paper.  It  is  partly  on  account  of  these  flat  trajectories  that  such  terrible  loss 
of  life  is  expected  in  a  great  war. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Chief  of  the  United  States  Detectives  Tells  How  He 
Captured  the  Spies  of  Spain. 

N  May  26th  Lieutenant  Ramon  Carranza  wrote  from  Montreal  to  a 
friend :  "  We  have  had  bad  luck,  for  they  have  captured  the  two 
best  spies,  one  in  Washington — who  hung  himself  or  whom  they 
hung — and  the  other,  day  before  yesterday  in  Tampa.  There  is 
extraordinary  vigilance  on  the  part  of  the  Americans." 

Carranza  directed  the  operations  of  the  Spanish  spies  from  Montreal, 
until  ordered  out  of  Canada  by  the  English  government,  and  his  tribute  to  the 
American  Secret  Service  was  deserved.  The  important  work  of  these  Ameri- 
can agents  is  best  told  by  John  Elbrot  Wilkie,  chief  of  the  Secret  Service, 
who  himself  prepared  the  following  article  : 

"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  such  a  tribute  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
American  Secret  Service  from  a  judge  so  well  informed  as  the  former  naval 
attache  of  the  late  Spanish  Legation  was  highly  gratifying  to  those  of  us  who 
had  been  lying  awake  nights  trying  to  make  trouble  for  the  Spanish  agents. 
But  as  our  activity  was  simply  a  reflex  action,  due  to  the  tireless  energy  of 
the  zealous  subjects  of  the  boy  king,  Lieutenant  Carranza  will  have  to  bear 
part  of  the  responsibility  for  the  watchfulness  which  he  so  gracefully  com- 
pliments. 

"  As  the  mysterious  is  always  attractive,  and  as  much  secrecy  necessarily 
was  observed  in  the  operations  of  this  branch  of  the  government  service,  curi- 
osity concerning  its  work  has  been  generally  manifested.  There  are,  however, 
many  matters  associated  with  its  administration  which  cannot  properly  be 
made  the  subject  of  publication. 

"  Possibly  the  very  thing  about  which  one  wishes  most  to  know  may  not 
be  touched  upon  in  this  paper.  If  so,  it  is  doubtless  because  that  particular 
thing  is  one  about  which  the  writer  may  not  write. 

"  When  it  became  apparent  that  a  conflict  with  Spain  was  inevitable  steps 
were  taken,  under  the  advice  of  Secretary  Gage  and  Assistant  Secretary  Van- 
derlip,  to  organize  an  auxiliary  force  of  the  Secret  Service  division  of  the 
Treasury  Department.  This  was  necessary  because  the  regular  force  of  that 
branch  of  the  government  is  maintained  by  an  appropriation  which  may  be 
drawn  upon  only  for  the  expenses  incurred  in  the  suppression  of  counterfeit- 
ing. As  soon  as  the  defence  fund  became  available,  the  President  made  a  pre- 
liminary allotment  of  $5,000  for  our  use,  and  some  weeks  later  increased  this 
460 


THE  SPIES  OF  SPAIN.  461 

by  $5°>OOO>  which,  it  was  estimated,  would  be  sufficient  to  maintain  the  force 
for  several  months. 

"  The  publication  of  the  fact  that  there  had  been  a  special  allotment  for 
an  addition  to  the  secret  service  made  it  wholly  unnecessary  to  advertise  for 
men.  The  applications  during  the  first  thirty  days  exceeded  a  thousand,  and 
the  pressure  for  appointment  became  embarrassing ;  but  the  peculiar  nature  of 
the  work  the  men  would  have  to  do  made  it  essential  that  they  should  be 
thoroughly  familiar  with  Spanish.  This  quickly  disposed  of  more  than  ninety 
per  cent,  of  the  applicants,  and  of  the  remainder  there  were  few  who  possessed ; 
the  other  qualifications — detective  experience,  rugged  health,  strength,  cour- 
age and  enthusiasm. 

There's  No  Money  In  It 

"  It  is  morally  certain  that  when  the  force  was  completed  there  was  not  a 
man  among  them  who  was  there  for  what  there  was  '  in  it/  the  pay  being  four 
dollars  a  day  and  traveling  and  living  expenses,  the  latter  being  limited  to 
three  dollars  a  day.  With  one  exception  they  were  under  forty  years  of  age. 
All  of  them  fairly  bubbled  over  with  loyalty,  were  determined  to  make  a 
record,  and  were  prepared  for  any  emergency  that  might  arise. 

"  It  may  surprise  a  great  many  persons  to  know  that  the  auxilliary  force 
of  the  Secret  Service  during  the  war  was  smaller  than  the  local  staff  of  a  large 
metropolitan  newspaper ;  but  as  the  men  were  unusually  intelligent  and  re- 
liable, it  was  possible  to  satisfactorily  cover  the  country  with  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  operatives. 

"Thanks  to  a  patriotic  public,  the  division  was  early  supplied  with  much 
information  relating  to  suspicious  strangers.  A  realization  of  the  danger  to 
the  country  from  these  internal  enemies  placed  every  one  on  the  alert,  and 
letters  fairly  poured  into  the  office.  Most  of  them  were  founded  on  trivial 
suspicion,  but  more  than  a  thousand  of  the  'suspects'  reported  by  mail  were 
investigated.  The  greater  number  of  these  were  found  to  be  persons  who 
were  injudicious  in  expressing  sentiments  not  entirely  loyal,  but  only  when 
they  went  so  far  as  to  threaten  what  they  would  do  if  they  had  an  opportunity 
were  they  warned  that  they  were  simply  making  trouble  for  themselves. 

"  When  it  was  possible  the  men  were  kept  at  headquarters  in  Washington 
for  some  time  before  being  assigned  to  independent  work  outside,  and  as  the 
capital  was  a  prolific  field  for  mysterious  foreigners,  there  was  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  test  the  ability  of  the  agents  in  various  ways,  especially  in  the 
important  matter  of '  shadowing/  a  fine  art  in  itself.  They  were  also  enabled 
to  obtain  a  general  idea  of  their  duties,  but  such  an  arrangement  was  not 
always  convenient. 

"  However  it  is  pleasant  to  record  but  one  failure.   In  that  particular  case 


462  THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN. 

I  was  unable  to  foresee  the  exact  conditions  under  which  the  agent  would 
have  to  work,  and  explicit  advance  instructions  were  impracticable.  The  man 
was  unable  to  grasp  the  situation  when  he  reached  his  station,  and  had  to  be 

replaced. 

In  Touch  with  Washington. 

"  Each  operative  was  provided  with  a  cipher  code  for  telegraphic  pur- 
poses, and  when  his  territory  had  been  assigned  was  expected  to  keep  in 
constant  touch  with  Washington.  In  my  private  office  at  headquarters  I  had 
a  large  map  of  the  United  States,  mounted  in  a  flat  cabinet,  and  by  means  of 
small  numbered  flags  attached  to  steel  pins  was  able  to  locate  every  man  on 
the  force  at  a  glance. 

"  Montreal,  Toronto,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Washington,  Newport 
News,  Savannah,  Jacksonville,  Tampa,  Key  West,  Mobile,  New  Orleans, 
Galveston,  San  Francisco  and  the  army  camps  were  the  principal  points  of 
activity. 

"  Tampa  was  a  particularly  lively  district,  for  in  addition  to  the  Secret 
Service  men  in  the  field  there  a  branch  of  the  Military  Information  Bureau, 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  War  Department,  was  maintained,  and  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  war  was  useful  in  looking  after  thefts  of  army  stores, 
deserters  and  military  offenders  of  all  classes.  Montreal  was  a  good  second 
in  the  matter  of  activity,  though  there  were  times  when  Washington  led 
them  all. 

"  Occasionally,  whea  the  pressure  was  particularly  heavy,  it  became 
necessary  to  detail  the  regular  members  of  the  division  to  run  out  certain 
lines  of  investigation,  their  expenses  at  such  times  being  defrayed  from  the 
defence  fund.  Of  the  thousand  or  more  '  suspects  '  something  over  six  hun- 
dred men  and  women  were  at  one  time  or  another  under  close  surveillance  for 
varying  periods,  among  them  professors,  diplomats,  doctors,  merchants,  cigar- 
makers,  mariners,  electrical  experts,  government  employees  of  foreign  birth  and 
uncertain  antecedents,  capitalists,  milliners,  dressmakers,  society  women  and 
servants.  Every  man  in  the  service  was  required  to  make  a  detailed  daily 
report  covering  his  operations,  and  there  were  revealed  a  great  many  interest- 
ing things  that  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  Spanish-American  war. 

"  Most  of  the  applications  for  appointment,  which  came  from  every  State 
in  the  Union,  and  from  England,  Canada  and  Mexico  as  well,  bore  evidences 
of  having  been  written  by  intelligent  men,  actuated  by  a  loyal  ambition  to 
serve  their  country.  About  half  of  them  were  addressed  to  the  War  Depart- 
ment, but  there  being  no  Secret  Service  in  that  branch  of  the  government 
they  were  referred  to  the  Treasury  Department  for  consideration. 

"  Many  of  the  writers  confessed  to  an  absolute  ignorance  of  detective 


THE  SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  463 

work,  and  apparently  overlooked  the  fact  that  we  were  dealing  with  a  foe 
whose  language  was  not  our  own ;  but  among  the  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
letters  there  were  many  whose  authors  were  even  more  at  sea  as  to  the  general 
qualifications  necessary  for  the  work. 

"  One  man  advanced  the  statement  that  he  had  been  married  four  times — 
possibly  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  his  courage  was  beyond  question.  Another 
pointed  out  that,  being  the  fortunate  possessor  of  '  Spanish  whiskers/  he 
could  work  among  the  enemy  with  absolute  safely.  As  an  example  of  the 
queer  applications  received  the  following  is  a  gem  well  worth  quoting : 

" '  i  wood  be  glad  to  render  my  servises  to  the  guvernment  at  aney  time 
or  in  aeny  capassity  that  i  might  be  abel  to  do  i  am  a  man  42  years  of  age 
and  traveled  quite  a  grate  deal  and  at  the  present  travel  and  get  in  with  all 
classes  of  peopel  my  occupation  is  sharpening  saws  for  butchers  or  aney 
body  else  that  has  them  to  so  i  get  amung  all  classes  of  peopel  i  usue  2  lan- 
gwages  german  and  the  american  or  english  spoken  langwage  as  for  writeing 
you  can  see  for  yurself. ' 

"The  early  establishment  of  a  'crank '  box  was  a  necessity,  hardly  a  day 
passing  without  a  letter  or  two  from  some  irresponsible  visionary  or  out  and 
out  lunatic.  There  were  stacks  of  anonymous  communications  threatening 
death  and  destruction  to  every  one  connected  with  the 'unholy '  war,  and 
scores  of  suggestions  from  demented  persons  who  had  'inspired'  plans  for 
the  annihilation  of  all  Spanish  emissaries.  Then  there  was  a  class  of  cranks 
with  hallucinations  that  they  were  being  dogged  by  Spanish  spies  and  in 
danger  of  assassination,  while  others  had  overheard  plots  to  blow  up  the 
President  and  public  buildings. 

Cranks  were  Numerous. 

"  Where  such  letters  were  signed  and  it  was  possible  to  locate  the  writers 
the  matter  was  always  investigated,  but  in  no  instance  was  the  author  found 
to  be  a  responsible  person.  Not  all  the  cranks  stopped  at  writing  to  the  de- 
partment. Many  of  them  called  at  the  office  and  were  led  gently  away, 
and  introduced  to  the  guards  at  the  doors  of  the  Treasury  Building  and  there- 
after refused  admittance.  One  enterprising  woman  succeeded  in  getting  in 
fo  see  me,  however,  with  a  unique  scheme  to  ascertain  the  identity  of  the 
leading  Spanish  agents  in  this  country. 

"  '  This  is  my  plan/  she  said  enthusiastically,  after  introducing  herself. 
'As  soon  as  you  engage  my  services  I  shall  go  to  New  York  and  look  about 
among  the  theatres  until  I  find  where  the  most  patriotic  audiences  gather. 
'"Hien  at  one  of  the  evening  performances,  when  they  are  all  cheering  for  the 
United  States,  I  shall  stand  up  in  my  seat  and  cry.  'Spain  forever!  Hurrah 


464  THE  SPIES  OF  SPAIN. 

(or  AlphotlsoP  Of  course  I  shall  be  arrested,  and  the  matter  will  get  into  the 
papers,  and  I  will  be  visited  by  the  friends  of  Spain,  who  will  be  convinced 
that  I  am  a  sympathizer.  So,  gradually,  I  shall  be  able  to  worm  my  way  into 
their  confidence  until  I  shall  have  gained  all  their  secrets.  Now  won't  that 
be  lovely?' 

u  The  chances  being  that  if  she  tried  it  the  audience  might  not  leave* 
enough  of  her  to  sympathize  with,  and  as  she  looked  as  if  her  children  might 
need  attention,  she  was  advised  to  go  home.  She  departed  reluctantly, 
thoroughly  convinced  that  the  government  was  making  a  fataf  mistake  in 
declining  her  services. 

"  When  the  '  emergency  men/  as  the  temporary  employes  of  the  division 
were  termed,  were  instructed  in  the  use  of  the  cipher  code  they  were  told  that 
in  communicating  with  headquarters  they  should  use,  instead  of  my  name, 
'John  Ehlen,'  which  I  had  registered  with  the  telegraph  companies.  This 
was  simply  a  precautionary  measure  intended  to  protect  the  operatives  by 
eliminating  the  chance  that  some  one  might  discover  the  message  was  for  the 
Secret  Service,  identify  the  sender  as  a  member  of  the  division,  and  destroy 
his  usefulness  in  that  particular  locality,  if  nothing  worse. 

An  Intercepted  Telegram. 

"  Out  of  this  arrangement  grew  a  curious  incident.  In  the  latter  part  of 
May  a  young  Western  newspaper  correspondent,  stationed  in  Washington, 
sent  in  his  card,  asking  to  see  me  on  important  and  confidential  business. 
When  admitted,  he  explained  that  a  telegraph  operator,  whom  he  had  known 
for  years  in  the  West,  and  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  capital,  had  inter- 
cepted a  cipher  message  from  Montreal  the  night  before,  and  believed  it  was 
from  the  Spanish  headquarters  to  an  agent  here. 

"  We  were  particularly  interested  in  the  Spanish  messages  at  that  time, 
having  possession  of  a  cipher  that  was  being  used  in  some  of  their  corres- 
pondence, and  the  newspaper  man,  knowing  this,  had  suggested  to  his  friend 
the  operator  that  the  suspected  communication  be  submitted  to  our  office. 

"  He  had  tried  to  translate  it,  but  was  unable  to  succeed,  and  he  wondered 
if  we  would  have  better  luck.  The  copy  of  the  mysterious  message,  which  he 
then  produced  and  placed  before  me  on  the  desk,  was  addressed  to  my  alias, 
the  original,  from  one  of  my  men,  being  in  a  drawer  at  my  side.  Under  the 
circumstances  I  felt  moderately  certain  that  we  could  get  at  its  meaning,  but 
without  explaining  to  the  correspondent,  I  told  him  that  if  we  did  succeed  in 
deciphering  it,  and  the  contents  were  of  such  a  character  as  to  permit  of  their 
publication,  he  should  have  a  '  scoop '  on  it.  This  satisfied  him  and  he  went 
away. 


THE  SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  465 

"  A  little  later  I  called  up  the  telegraph  company  and  asked  that  the 
operator  in  question  should  be  sent  to  the  office  for  a  moment.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  was  ushered  in — a  young,  bright-faced  fellow,  with  plenty  of  color 
in  his  cheeks,  and  an  air  of  suppressed  excitement.  I  only  guessed  that  he 
felt  his  discovery  had  been  of  value  to  the  Government,  and  he  was  to  be 
rewarded  in  some  way.  In  reply  to  my  interview,  he  detailed  how  he  had 
received  the  message,  and  how,  when  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  from 
one  Spanish  agent  to  another,  he  had  surreptitiously  obtained  a  copy  of  it. 
The  fact  that  it  bore  no  local  address  had  made  it  doubly  suspicious,  as  it 
indicated  that  it  was  to  be  called  for. 

An  Awkward  Interview. 

"  '  Didn't  it  occur  to  you  to  see  if  the  person  to  whom  it  was  addressed 
was  regis-ered  in  the  office  with  delivery  directions?' 

"  '  No,  sir.' 

"  '  Well,  if  you  had  consulted  your  company's  books  you  would  have 
discovered  that  I  am  '  John  Ehlen,'  and  that  this  is  a  Government  message.' 

"  The  poor  fellow's  face  was  a  study  when  he  realized  that  he  had  held 
out  an  official  telegram  and  had  turned  it  over  to  a  newspaper  man.  He 
appreciated  the  gravity  of  the  offence  in  violating  his  oath  as  an  operator,  and 
felt  that  his  position  was  as  good  as  gone,  under  circumstances  that  would 
make  it  impossible  for  him  to  obtain  employment  with  any  company.  He 
said  nothing,  but  his  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  '  Have  you  a  family  ?  ' 

"  '  No,  sir,  but  I  am  supporting  my  old  father  and  mother.1 

"  '  Your  motive  was  the  best  in  the  world,'  I  said,  finally,  ( but  your 
methods  are  open  to  criticism.  Now,  nothing  shall  be  said  to  the  company 
about  this,  but  if  in  the  future  you  catch  any  mysterious  messages,  just  bring 
them  straight  to  me  without  intrusting  them  to  any  outsider.  If  your  news- 
paper friend  had  succeeded  in  translating  this  message,  it  might  have  been 
awkward  for  all  of  us.' 

"  This  was  quite  true,  for  the  message  in  question  detailed  briefly,  but 
completely,  the  capture  of  the  Carranza  letter.  He  gave  me  a  grateful  pres- 
sure of  the  hand,  and  the  incident  was  closed.  You  see,  we  often  run  very 
near  the  danger  line. 

"  Apropos  of  ciphers,  there  were  several  employed  by  the  Spanish. 
There  was  a  *  figure '  cipher,  which  we  were  unable  to  translate,  and  there 
was  another  whose  mystery  we  solved.  This  was  rather  ingenious,  and  as 
simple  as  it  was  clever.  The  day  of  the  month  on  which  the  communication 
was  written  was  the  key.  For  instance,  if  the  letter  was  dated  on  the  6th, 
30-D 


46f3  THE  SPIES   OF   SPAIN. 

the  sixth  letter  of  the  alphabet,  '  f/  was  used  in  place  of '  a/  '  g,'  instead  of '  b,' 
and  so  on.     This  gave  a  change  for  every  day  in  the  month. 

"Among  the  letters  seized  on  the  steamer  Panama  we  found  several  in 
which,  after  completing  what  looked  like  an  ordinary,  commonplace  letter,  the 
author  had  written  the  secret  information  between  the  lines  in  sympathetic 
ink,  which  developed  only  on  being  subjected  to  a  temperature  almost  high 
enough  to  scorch  the  paper.  There  were  a  number  of  these  from  Mexico  to 
^uspected  individuals  in  New  Orleans,  relating  to  the  purchase  of  supplies  to 
be  shipped  to  the  open  ports  of  Cuba,  and  up  to  the  time  that  the  blockade 
was  extended  to  include  the  whole  island  there  was  a  large  and  constant 
movement  of  supplies  from  this  country  to  Vera  Cruz. 

"  Some  of  the  most  delicate  and  interesting  work  of  the  department  was 
that  involving  the  '  testing '  of  suspects.  Given  a  clever  operative,  who  could 
speak  Spanish  like  a  native,  and  the  right  opportunity,  it  was  moderately  cer- 
tain that  within  a  comparatively  short  time  the  subject  of  the  investigation 
could  be  induced  to  declare  himself.  There  were  a  few  cases,  however,  where 
the  conditions  were  peculiar  and  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  decidedly 
difficult. 

"  One  of  these,  with  a  touch  of  comedy  in  it,  was  that  of  a  certain  Ger- 
man doctor  in  an  Eastern  city,  whose  social  position  was  of  the  highest  and 
whose  reputation  was  the  best.  Several  letters  had  been  received  warning 
us  that  the  doctor  was  a  most  dangerous  spy.  He  was  not  naturalized,  and 
before  hostilities  broke  out  had  been  an  avowed  friend  of  Spain.  It  was 
stated  that  last  year  he  had  gone  abroad,  ostensibly  to  visit  Germany,  but  that 
as  a  matter  of  fact  he  had  gone  to  Austria,  and  afterward  to  Spain,  and  now 
was  certainly  acting  as  an  agent  for  the  enemy. 

Investigating  the  Doctor. 

"After  sending  to  several  of  the  writers  of  the  warning  letters  and  estab- 
lishing the  fact  that  they  were  reputable  and  responsible  persons,  arrangements 
were  made  for  a  careful  watch  upon  the  doctor.  His  associations  were  found 
to  include  no  suspicious  individuals,  his  actions  were  rational,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  behaving  himself  like  an  ordinary  mortal.  The  facts  against  him  were 
ithat  he  was  an  outspoken  advocate  of  Spain,  writing  and  speaking  in  her 
behalf,  openly  denouncing  this  country  for  its  part  in  the  conflict,  and  express- 
ing the  hope  that  victory  might  rest  with  the  Spanish  arms. 

"  Yet  this  was  in  a  sense  in  his  favor,  for  it  seemed  more  than  likely  a 
secret  agent  would  cloak  his  operations  under  a  pretended  friendship  for  this 
country.  But  he  was  an  influential  man,  with  many  acquaintances  in  govern- 
mental positions,  and  if  the  charges  were  well  founded  would  be  a  dangerous 


THE  SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  467 

enemy,  because  he  was  so  situated  as  to  easily  obtain  very  important  informa- 
tion. It  was  therefore  extremely  desirable  to  fix  his  exact  status.  The  ques- 
tion was  whether  he  was  doing  more  than  employing  mere  moral  force  in 
behalf  of  Spain.  Any  one  could  obtain  his  friendly  view  of  the  Dons  for  the 
asking,  but  if  he  was  engaged  on  a  secret  mission  it  would  require  exceedingly 
delicate  work  to  ascertain  the  truth. 

"  It  chanced  that  the  first  week  in  May  I  had  made  a  short  trip  to  the  Westr 
fand  on  the  '  limited  '  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  foreign  gentleman,  an  Aus- 
trian, en  route  to  Mexico.  He  had  given  me  his  card,  a  very  formidable  black 

bordered  affair,  identifying  him  as  Count  L ,  of  Vienna,  an  officer  of  the 

Society  of  Jesus.  I  had  kept  the  pasteboard,  and  one  day,  while  the  case  of 
the  German  doctor  was  under  consideration,  a  glance  at  it  in  my  desk  sug- 
gested a  plan  which  was  soon  given  a  trial. 

"  I  assigned  to  the  work  an  operative  speaking  all  the  Continental 
languages,  thoroughly  familiar  with  Austria,  Germany  and  Spain,  and  other- 
wise especially  well  equipped  for  the  task  before  him.  He  called  upon  the 
Doctor,  addressed  him  in  German,  begged  a  private  interview,  and  then  con- 
fided to  him  that  he  was  anxious  to  do  something  for  Spain.  He  alluded 
touchingly  to  the  natural  sympathy  for  his  beautiful  countrywoman,  who  was 

being  so  sorely  tried.     He  had  met  Count  L ,  who  was  here  on  a  political 

mission,  and  had  spoken  to  him  of  his  desire. 

A  Bit  of  Strategy. 

"  The  Count  had  told  him  of  the  great  friendship  of  Austria  for  Spain, 
and  had  advised  him  that  if  he  wished  to  serve  her  he  could  not  do  better  than 
call  upon  the  famous  Doctor  X.,  who  was  in  a  position  to  instruct  him ;  be- 
cause, as  the  Count  had  intimated  to  him  in  the  strictest  confidence,  the  Doctor 
was  doing  a  little  quiet  secret  work  for  Spain.  The  Count  had  written  the 
doctor's  name  and  address  on  one  of  his  own  cards.  Here  it  was.  Now 
would  the  good  Doctor  tell  him  how  he  could  serve  poor  Spain  ?  No  mission 
would  be  too  dangerous  for  him  to  undertake. 

"  The  Doctor  was  much  agitated  during  his  visitor's  recital,  which  was 
carried  on  in  a  cautious  whisper,  and  when  it  was  finished  was  silent  for  a 
time.  Finally  he  said  that  though  he  felt  honored  at  the  confidence  displayed 
in  his  discretion,  and  would  be  glad  to  advise  his  friend,  he  himself  dared  do 
no  more  than  write  and  speak  for  the  down-trodden  nation. 

"  We  were  satisfied  from  the  result  of  the  test  that  the  Doctor  was  not  a 
spy,  and  thereafter  disregarded  the  warnings  concerning  him.  A  curious 
sequel  to  the  agent's  call  was  that  a  few  days  later  the  Austrian  Minister  was 
obliged  to  deny  a  foolish  story  to  the  effect  that  his  government  was  pre- 


468  THE  SPIES  OF  SPAIN. 

paring  to  make  a  friendly  demonstration  in  behalf  of  Spain.  I  fancy  the 
origin  of  the  rumor  might  have  been  traced  to  my  friend  the  Doctor,  who 
over-estimated  the  Austrian  Count's  revelation  to  the  nervous  man  who  was 
so  anxious  to  do  something  for  an  unhappy  people. 

"  Strangely  enough,  the  two  best  spies  to  whom  Lieutenant  Carranza 
refers  in  his  more  or  less  famous  letter  to  his  uncle  were  not  Spaniards. 
Both  were  of  English  birth,  and  neither  even  spoke  Spanish.  Both  are  dead 
— one  destroyed  himself  in  prison  and  the  other  fell  a  victim  to  deadly  ty- 
phoid while  incarcerated  in  Fort  McPherson. 

"  The  circumstances  leading  up  to  the  arrest  of  these  men  are  interesting 
in  that  they  illustrate  two  widely  different  phases  of  the  work  of  the  agents 
of  the  emergency  forces  of  the  Federal  secret  service. 

Shadowing  the  Former  Minister. 

"  One  of  the  first  men  employed  in  the  special  investigation  was  a  young 
New  Yorker  of  fine  family  and  excellent  social  position.  A  long  residence 
abroad  had  given  him  a  fluent  command  of  modern  languages.  He  was  the 
possessor  of  much  natural  shrewdness,  and  his  courage  was  unquestioned. 
He  was  sent  to  Toronto  immediately  after  the  departure  of  Senor  Polo  y  Bar- 
nabe  from  Washington,  with  instructions  to  keep  headquarters  advised  of 
the  movements  of  the  former  Minister's  party,  to  look  carefully  after  those 
who  might  connect  with  them  in  any  way,  and  to  do  both  without  arousing 
suspicion. 

"  He  was  fortunate  in  securing  a  room  adjoining  that  occupied  by  Lieu- 
tenant Carranza,  and  as  there  was  a  connecting  door,  against  which  the  head 
of  his  bed  was  placed,  he  was  beautifully  situated  for  his  purpose.  Early  on 
the  morning  of  Friday,  May  6th,  an  earnest  conversation,  this  time  in  English, 
was  being  carried  on  in  the  Lieutenant's  room.  It  lasted  for  an  hour  or 
more.  The  Lieutenant's  visitor  showed  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Ame- 
rican navy  and  referred  to  his  own  services  on  the  Brooklyn. 

"  Carranza  first  satisfied  himself  that  the  man  knew  what  he  was  talking 
about,  and  then  arranged  for  him  to  go  to  Washington,  where  he  was  to  se- 
cure certain  information  and  forward  it  to  Montreal,  for  which  point  the 
( former  Minister  was  to  leave  that  afternoon.  Instructions  were  given  in  the 
use  of  the  code  for  telegraphing,  and  there  was  much  further  talk  in  a  tone 
too  low  to  be  understood;  but  the  stranger  was  finally  heard  to  say,  "Then 
I  am  to  write  to  this  address  in  Montreal.' 

"  Carranza  assented,  and  our  agent,  believing  the  visit  was  at  an  end, 
opened  the  door  and  stepped  into  the  hall.  He  had  timed  his  movements 
well,  for  Carranza  was  just  bidding  his  visitor  farewell  Together  the  secret 


THE  SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  469 

service  man  and  the  stranger  walked  through  the  hall,  the  former  asking  a 
light  for  his  cigarette  as  they  passed  down  the  stairway.  At  the  door  they 
separated.  The  suspect  was  shadowed  to  an  obscure  hotel,  where  it  was 
ascertained  that  he  had  registered  as  '  Alexander  Cree '  and  that  he  was  to 
leave  the  city  that  evening. 

"  That  afternoon  the  following  telegram  in  cipher  was  delivered  to  me : 
"  '  Young  Southerner,  Alexander  Cree,  of  Hillsboro,  I  think,  leaves  for 
Washington  to-night.  My  height  and  build,  dark,  small  mustache,  black  soft 
felt  hat,  black  sack  coat,  black  sailor  tie,  somewhat  shabby,  evidently  served 
on  Brooklyn ;  has  intimate  knowledge  of  naval  matters.  Just  had  long  inter- 
view with  naval  attache.  He  is  to  write  to  Montreal. 

Every  Movement  Watched. 

"  The  next  morning  arrangements  were  made  to  '  cover '  incoming  trains 
in  Washington,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  description  our  man  was  picked  out  of 
the  crowd  at  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  depot  with  as  much  ease  as  if  we  had 
been  furnished  his  photograph.  From  the  moment  of  his  arrival  every  move- 
ment was  watched.  He  was  evidently  familiar  with  the  city,  for  he  asked  no 
questions  in  going  about.  One  of  his  trips  included  a  call  at  the  Navy 
Department,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  boarding  house,  No.  916  E  street, 
N.  W.,  where  he  remained  for  an  hour  or  so,  going  thence  to  the  post  office, 
where  he  mailed  a  letter.  This  was  promptly  secured  and  taken  to  head- 
quarters. It  bore  the  address  '  Frederick  W.  Dickson,  Esq.,  1248  Dorchester 
street,  Montreal,'  and  was  as  follows : 

"'WASHINGTON,  Saturday,  May  7,  1898. 

"'A  cipher  message  has  been  sent  off  from  the  Navy  Department  to  San 
Francisco,  directing  the  cruiser  Charleston  to  proceed  to  Manila  with  five 
hundred  men  and  machinery  for  repairs  for  Dewey.  A  long  cipher  has  been 
received  from  Dewey  at  department  at  3.30  P.M.  They  are  translating  it  now. 
Cannot  find  it  out  yet.  Have  heard  important  news  respecting  movements 
of  colliers  and  cruiser  Newark  at  Norfolk  Navy  Yard,  also  about  the  new 
Holland  boat,  as  to  what  they  intend  to  do  with  her,  and  her  destination.  I 
shall  go  to  Norfolk  soon  to  find  important  news.  My  address  will  be  Norfolk 
House,  Norfolk,  Va.,  but  shall  not  go  until  Tuesday. 

"'Respectfully  yours, 

"  '  G  D.,  in  haste." 

"This  fully  confirmed  the  suspicion  that  he  was  a  hired  spy,  and  war- 
ranted immediate  action.  As  this  offence  was  a  military  one  I  laid  the  fact 
before  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Judge  Advocate  General,  with 


470  THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN. 

the  result  that  a  military  arrest  was  decided  upon.  Captain  Sage,  of  the 
Eighth  artillery,  with  a  corporal  and  one  man,  was  ordered  to  report  to  me  at 
the  Treasury  Building,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night  we  arrested  the  sus- 
pected man  in  his  room. 

"  We  rather  anticipated  a  lively  time,  but  much  to  my  surprise  he  wilted 
completely  when  I  placed  him  under  arrest  and  he  was  led  away  without^ 
resistance. 

"A  search  of  the  apartment  resulted  in  the  seizure  of  partly  finished 
letters  to  the  same  address  in  Montreal,  and  documents  establishing  the 
identity  of  the  prisoner  as  George  Downing,  naturalized  citizen  and  formerly 
yeoman  of  the  cruiser  Brooklyn.  In  one  corner  of  a  bureau  drawer,  other- 
wise empty,  I  found  a  scrap  of  letter  paper,  upon  one  side  of  which  was  the 
address  in  Dorchester  street,  and  on  the  other  these  words  : — '  Slater's  Code. 
To  send  add  100 ;  to  receive  subtract  100. 

Collecting  the  Evidence. 

"  This  was  the  key  to  the  cipher  he  was  to  employ,  the  system  being  one 
in  which  thousands  of  ordinary  words  arranged  alphabetically  have  fixed  con- 
secutive numbers  of  five  figures  each.  In  preparing  a  telegram  under  the 
cipher  indicated  on  the  slip,  the  desired  word  having  been  found  on  the  list, 
one  hundred  would  have  been  added  to  its  corresponding  number,  and  the 
word  opposite  the  higher  number  thus  obtained  would  have  been  used  in  the 
cipher  message.  In  translating  the  cipher,  after  ascertaining  the  number 
associated  with  the  word  on  the  message,  the  subtraction  of  a  hundred  would 
disclose  the  figures  opposite  which  would  be  the  real  word  desired. 

"  The  evidence  secured  in  Downing's  room,  considered  in  connection 
with  the  consultation  with  Carranza  and  the  letter  mailed  to  Montreal,  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  insure  conviction,  and  the  prisoner  evidently  appre- 
ciated the  fact,  for  two  days  later  he  hanged  himself  in  his  cell,  at  the  barracks. 

It  may  be  added  that  th<;  Dorchester  street  house  had  been  rented  fur- 
nished by  a  Spanish  agent  the  day  before  Senor  Polo  left  Toronto,  but  it  was 
soon  after  given  up. 

"  The  operations  of  the  Spanish  agents  in  Canada  were  materially  aided  by 
a  private  detective  agency  of  the  Dominion,  through  which  an  attempt  was 
made  to  carry  out  an  extensive  and  rather  ingenious  scheme  for  the  collection 
of  information  about  our  forces.  Young  men  who  had  had  experience  in  the 
Canadian  or  English  military  organizations  were  to  proceed  to  various  points^ 
and  there  enlist  in  the  American  army,  San  Francisco  and  Tampa  being 
selected  as  the  advantageous  points  from  which  to  operate.  The  spies  were 
quietly  to  collect  all  the  facts  as  to  troops,  guns  and  so  on,  to  proceed  with  the 


THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  471 

of  invasion  to  Manila  or  Cuba,  as  the  case  might  be,  and  upon  reaching 
\he  foreign  port  were  to  escape  at  the  first  opportunity  and  deliver  them- 
selves into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards. 

"  Each  was  to  be  provided  with  a  plain  ring,  of  gold  or  silver,  upon  the 
mner  circumference  of  which  were  engraved  the  words  '  Confienza  Augustina,1 
and  this  token  was  to  be  sent  by  a  messenger  to  the  commanding  officer  as 
soon  as  possible  after  reaching  the  Spanish  lines.  The  general,  or  whoever 
received  the  ring,  having  been  instructed  that  these  would  be  sent  by  spies  in 
their  service,  would  summon  him  and  hear  his  report.  He  would  then  be 
permitted  to  make  his  way  back  to  the  American  lines  to  establish  such  other 
means  of  communication  as  might  suggest  themselves. 

Experience  of  Two  Englishmen. 

'  The  first  of  these  agents  to  be  secured  was  a  young  Englishman  in 
Montreal,  whose  name  might  have  been  Atkins.  He  was  down  on  his  luck, 
out  of  work  and  desperate.  He  was  treated  liberally  with  liquor,  and  the 
scheme  unfolded  to  him  at  the  office  of  the  detective  agency  when  he  was  in 
a  properly  receptive  mood,  and  where  he  was  accompanied  by  another  young 
Englishman,  Frederick  Elmhurst,  who  had  just  served  his  time  in  one  of  the 
Canadian  batteries,  and  who  was  also  willing  to  go  into  the  plot. 

"  The  following  day  they  were  taken  to  the  Londo'n  House,  in  Montreal 
and  there  met  Lieutenant  Carranza,  who,  after  looking  them  over,  asked  if 
they  understood  what  they  were  to  do  and  were  willing  to  undertake  the 
mission.  Both  agreed  to  the  proposition.  They  then  separated,  and  Atkins, 
was  to  go  to  San  Francisco,  was  given  $100  with  which  to  pay  his  transpor- 
tation, provide  himself  with  the  ring  and  have  something  left  over  for  emer- 
gencies. He  bought  his  tickl?l,^but  fortunately  waited  until  he  was  sober 
before  packing  up.  When  his  bdnn  had  sufficiently  cleared  to  enable  him  to 
realize  what  he  was  doing  he  decided  to  wait  awhile. 

(i  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  hunted  up  his  old  colonel,  made  a  clean 
breast  of  the  whole  matter,  and  was  advised  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
Then  he  called  on  a  former  employer  in  Montreal  and  told  him  of  the  propo- 
sition and  of  his  determination  to  fight  shy  of  it,  adding  that  he  was  'an 

•Englishman  and  he'd  be  blowed  if  he'd  fight  against  white  men  for  any 

foreigner.' 

"One  of  the  Spanish-Canadian  private  detectives,  meeting  Atkins  some 
time  later,  decoyed  him  to  a  cheap  hotel,  where  he  beat  and  threatened  to  kill 
him,  and  the  victim,  fearing  further  violence,  left  the  country  in  a  cattle 
steamer  bound  for  Liverpool.  His  Montreal  friend  who  was  an  American, 
having  redeemed  the  unused  railroad  ticket  and  taken  possession  of  the  ring. 


472  THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN. 

reported  the  matter  to  the  United  States  consuls,  who  forwarded  the  informa- 
tion to  Washington, 

"  Just  before  this  information  reached  us  one  of  our  men  at  Tampa  found 
that  a  man  known  as  Miller  had  attempted  to  enlist  there,  but  had  been 
refused,  as  no  more  men  were  being  taken  at  that  time.  Miller  was  stopping 
at  the  Almeria  Hotel,  and  it  was  soon  learned  that  he  was  in  telegraphic 
communication  with  Montreal.  Tuesday,  May  24,  the  following  message 
was  intercepted  by  the  military  censor : 

"  '  Cannot  telegraph  money  to-day.  Move  from  where  you  are  and  tele- 
graph from  some  other  town.  Write  fully  re  stocks  at  once.  Will  wire 
money  and  instructions  on  receipt.  SIDDALL.' 

"  This  being  considered  sufficiently  suggestive  to  warrant  his  detention, 
he  was  taken  in  by  our  agents.  Papers  in  his  possession  included  a  declara- 
tion of  intention,  from  which  it  appeared  that  his  correct  name  was  Frank 
Arthur  Mellor,  and  that  he  came  from  Kingston,  Ontario.  Other  messages 
on  his  person  were  not  satisfactorily  explained,  and  he  could  not  tell  what  was 
meant  by  the  order  to  move  to  another  town  and  '  write  fully  re  stocks.' 

"  Suspicion  became  a  certainty  on  the  Sunday  following  his  arrest,  when 
I  received  the  Carranza  letter,  captured  in  Montreal,  and  found  the  reference 
to  the  second  of  the  best  spies  who  had  been  arrested  '  day  before  yesterday 
in  Tampa/  The  Carranza  letter  was  written  Thursday,  May  26,  and  the  date 
referred  to  would  therefore  have  been  Tuesday,  when  Mellor  was  taken  into 
custody.  However,  as  it  would  have  been  hardly  fair  to  prosecute  Mellor  on 
the  Lieutenant's  unsupported  statement,  copies  of  telegrams,  with  other 
information  obtained  from  Tampa,  were  forwarded,  and  the  agents  at  Mon- 
treal were  set  at  work  confirming  the  Canadian  end  of  the  conspiracy. 

The  Death  f£  Mellor. 

"  It  was  soon  established  that  Mellor  had  been  intimately  associated  with 
the  Spanish- Canadian  detective  agency,  and  was  the  man  who  approached 
Atkins  on  behalf  of  the  firm  to  go  into  the  scheme  cf  enlisting"  and  carrying 
information  to  the  enemy.  Siddall,  whose  name  was  signed  to  the  message, 
was  found  to  be  a  barkeeper  in  a  Montreal  dive,  and,  through  a  woman  had 
been  induced  to  loan  his  name  to  the  detectives.  Atkins  was  brought  back 
to  this  country,  and  in  a  sworn  statement  fully  corroborated  the  mass  of  evi- 
dence already  m  our  hands. 

"  In  the  meantime  Mellor,  who  had  been  sent  to  Fort  McPherson,  had 
been  visited  by  a  Montreal  attorney,  who  had  been  seen  in  close  consultatioi> 
with  the  private  detectives,  and  Siddall  acknowledged  that  he  had  given  thLs 
attorney  an  order  on  the  telegraph  company  for  copies  of  the  original 


THE  SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  472 

sages  sent  from  Canada.  In  various  other  ways  the  connection  between  the 
Spanish  headquarters  in  Montreal  and  Mellor  had  been  established,  and  the 
evidence  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Judge  Advocate  General,  who  had  the 
charges  prepared  when  the  protocol  was  signed. 

"  Had  Mellor  lived  it  is  quite  likely  that  peace  would  have  given  him  his 
liberty,  but  typhoid  claimed  him  about  ten  days  after  the  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities. Frederick  Elmhurst,  the  Canadian  who  had  succeeded  in  enlisting 
at  Tampa,  was  arrested  and  held  at  Fort  McPherson  Until  some  days  later, 
when  he  was  sent  North  and  released. 

"  It  was  generally  believed  that  when  Sefior  Polo's  party  lingered  in 
Canada  it  was  the  intention  to  establish  an  information  bureau,  and  one  of  the 
principal  tasks  of  the  division  was  the  breaking  up  of  that  institution.  While 
many  facts  ascertained  by  the  agents  of  the  American  secret  service  made  it 
certain  beyond  question  that  a  regular  system  of  espionage  was  being  con- 
ducted on  neutral  territory,  there  was  not  enough  on  which  to  approach  Great 
Britain  with  a  request  for  the  expulsion  of  the  offenders,  and  we  were  anxious 
to  obtain  something  conclusive  upon  which  action  could  be  based.  The  men 
in  Montreal  were  particularly  alert  for  the  right  sort  of  evidence,  and  never 
left  the  Spanish  combination  alone  for  a  moment. 

Detective's  Trick. 

"  When  the  former  Minister  returned  to  Spain,  Lieutenant  Carranza  and 
Sefior  du  Bosc  rented  a  furnished  house  at  No.  4.2  Tupper  street.  They  took 
it  for  two  months  only,  and  having  ascertained  this  fact,  one  of  our  men 
secured  a  card  from  the  real  estate  agent,  requesting  that  the  tenant  kindly 
permit  the  bearer  to  see  the  house.  A  party  of  three  was  then  made  up, 
including  a  lady,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  Saturday,  May 
28,  they  called,  were  admitted  by  the  maid  and  shown  slowly  through  the 
various  apartments. 

"  Carranza  and  Du  Bosc  were  at  breakfast  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house, 
and  as  the  visitors  passed  through  the  sleeping  room  of  the  former  one  of  the 
men  saw  an  official  looking  letter,  stamped  and  ready  for  the  mail,  lying  upon 
a  dresser.  The  lady  and  one  of  her  companions  moved  out  toward  the  hali 
with  the  servant,  while  the  third  member  of  the  party  slipped  the  letter  into 
his  pocket.  In  the  lower  hall,  just  before  they  left,  the  postman  passed  in 
three  large  letters,  and  these  would  have  also  been  in  our  possession  in 
a  moment  but  for  the  sudden  appearance  cf  the  maid,  who  took  charge  of 
them. 

"  As  quickly  as  possible  after  leaving  the  house  the  letter  was  enclosed 
in  another  envelope,  bearing  both  American  and  Canadian  stamps,  and  was 


174  THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN. 

intrusted  to  an  American  locomotive  engineer  about  to  start  upon  his  run, 
and  who  was  instructed  to  take  it  as  far  as  Burlington,  Vt.,  and  then  mail  it. 
He  carried  out  his  share  of  the  work  perfectly,  the  letter  coming  through  all 
right  and  being  delivered  to  me  late  Sunday  night. 

"  Immediately  after  leaving  the  Tupper  street  place  one  man  and  the 
woman  left  for  Toronto  and  the  other  operative  went  out  into  the  suburbs  tov 
look  after  another  suspect.  The  excitement  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Spanish 
headquarters  when  the  loss  was  discovered  may  well  be  imagined.  Carranza 
knew  what  damaging  admissions  he  had  made,  and  if,  as  he  feared,  the  Ameri- 
can Government  had  his  letter,  his  usefulness  to  his  own  was  practically 
ended.  He  first  denied  that  the  letter  was  of  any  special  value,  and  when  a 
translation  was  printed  claimed  that  certain  cJ the  published  statements  were 
not  in  his  letter,  asserting  that  interpolations  had  been  made  and  whole  sen- 
tences wrongly  translated. 

*'  He  secured  1'he  arrest  of  a  Montreal  private  detective,  whom  he 
charged  with  the  abstraction  of  the  letter,  but  as  the  prisoner  looked  about 
as  much  like  the  man  who  really  got  it  as  young  Sothern  does  like  Buffalo 
Bill,  the  case  fell  through.  The  public  is  familiar  with  the  legal  proceedings 
that  followed  when  the  -detective  tried  to  recover  damages  for  false  arrest,  and 
the  subsequent  action  of  the  British  and  Dominion  Governments  in  dismissing 
the  Spanish  agents  is  well  known.  It  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  the  letter 
gave  the  finishing  stroke  to  the  Spanish  spy  service  in  America." 

Rowan's  Brilliant  Scouting. 

Lieutenant  Alexander  S.  Rowan  was  sent  by  the  United  States  Secret 
Service  Bureau  early  in  April  to  carry  plans  of  the  United  .States  military 
operations  in  Cuba  to  General  Calixto  Garcia,  of  the  insurgent  army.  He  also 
carried  instructions  for  the  junction  of  the  forces  of  Gomez  and  Garcia  with 
the  United  States  army  of  invasion. 

Lieutenant  Rowan  was  graduated  from  West  Point  in  1877,  and  after  sev- 
eral years  of  service  in  the  West  was  assigned  to  the  Secret  Service  Bureau. 
He  left  Jamaica  on  April  pth,  arrived  in  Kingston  on  April  1 5th  and  departed 
from  Stann's  Bay  on  April  24th,  in  a  sailing  vessel,  bound  for  Cuba.  It  is 
reported  that  he  landed  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  insurgent  camp. 

He  reached  Tampa  on  the  steamer  Mascotte  in  the  middle  of  May  and 
breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  and  satisfaction  at  being  safely  back  from  the  perils 
of  his  visit  to  the  insurgent  camp  of  General  Calixto  Garcia,  in  the  Province* 
of  Santiago. 

<J  I  can  assure  you  I  am  glad  to  be  back  in  civilization  and  on  American 
territory,"  he  said.  "  I  left  Washington  about  a  month  ago  on  a  mission  of 


THE   SPIES   OF  SPAIN.  475 

secrecy  to  the  camp  of  General  Garcia.  I  went  to  Bermuda,  and  from  there 
to  Cuba,  where  I  made  my  way  to  General  Garcia's  headquarters  under  the 
guidance  of  several  Cubans.  You  will,  of  course,  understand  that  I  am  not 
permitted  to  reveal  the  object  or  results  of  my  visit  to  the  camp  of  the  Cuban 
leader  further  than  to  say  that  it  related  to  the  contemplated  junction  of  his 
forces  with  those  of  the  United  States  when  the  invasion  of  Cuba  is  made  "  i 

In  an  Open  Boat. 

Additional  details  of  Lieutenant  Rowan's  visit  to  General  Garcia  were 
given  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Carlos  Hernandez,  aide  to  General  Enrique 
Collazo,  both  of  whom  accompanied  the  intrepid  American  officer  from  the 
interior  of  Cuba  to  the  sea  coast,  and  who  shared  with  him  the  dangers  of  the 
four  days'  journey  in  an  open  boat  from  the  coast  to  Nassau.  Jamaica. 

"  Lieutenant  Rowan  has  seen  more  of  the  island  of  Cuba  in  a  shorter 
time,  and  endured  more  hardships,  than  any  other  American,"  said  Colonel 
Hernandez.  "  From  where  Lieutenant  Rowan  landed,  on  April  2Qth  last, 
near  Port  Portillo,  on  the  south  coast  of  Santiago  de  Cuba,  to  where  he  left 
on  the  north  coast,  is  across  the  widest  part  of  the  island.  With  a  guard  of 
only  four  men  he  pushed  through,  part  of  the  way  on  foot,  and  through  one 
of  the  wildest  parts  of  the  island. 

"  With  hardly  a  stop  for  rest,  he  reached  Bayamo  on  May  ist,  where  he 
met  General  Garcia.  Five  hours  afterward  we  started  for  the  north  coast. 
Lieutenant  Rowan  did  not  stop  for  an  instant  until  his  mission  was  accom- 
plished, exhausted  though  he  was.  For  four  days  and  nights  we  hardly  left 
our  saddles.  It  is  a  ride  I  do  not  think  Lieutenant  Rowan  will  ever  forget. 
But,  like  the  soldier  that  he  is,  he  never  complained.  When  we  finally  reached 
the  coast  near  Port  Maniti,  on  May  5th,  the  only  boat  procurable  was  a  little 
dory,  hardly  more  than  sixteen  feet  long,  yet  our  orders  permitted  no  delay, 
and  six  of  us  embarked  on  this  little  cockle  shell.  We  were  picked  up  by  a 
sponger,  and  reached  Nassau  early  on  May  8th," 


CHAPTER   XXX. 
Agitation  for  Peace  Ends  in  Renewal  of  Hostilities. 

ENERAL  OTIS  telegraphed  the  War  Department  at  Washington 
under  date  of  April  28th,  that  the  commanding  general  of  the  in- 
surgents had  received  from  the  insurgent  government  directions  to 
suspend  hostilities  pending  negotiations  for  the  termination  of  the 
war  and  that  insurgent  staff  officers  were  on  the  way  to  Manila  for  that  purpose. 

The  text  of  General  Otis's  dispatch  was  as  follows  : 

"  After  taking  Calumpit,  MacArthur's  division  crossed  the  Rio  Grande 
River  in  the  face  of  great  obstacles,  driving  the  concentrated  forces  of  the 
enemy  back  on  the  railroad  two  miles.  MacArthur  reports  that  passage  of 
the  river  was  a  remarkable  military  achievement,  the  success  of  which  is  due 
to  the  daring  skill  and  determination  of  Colonel  Funston,  under  discriminative 
control  of  General  Wheaton.  Casualties  slight,  number  not  yet  ascertained. 

"This  morning  chief  of  staff  from  the  commanding  general  of  insurgent 
forces  entered  our  lines  to  express  admiration  of  the  wonderful  feat  of  the 
American  army  in  forcing  passage  of  the  river,  which  was  thought  impossible. 
Staff  officer  reports  that  insurgent  commanding  general  has  received  from  in- 
surgent government  directions  to  suspend  hostilities  pending  negotiations  for 
the  termination  of  the  war. 

"  Lawton's  forces  well  in  hand  in  vicinity  of  Agnat,  east  of  Calumpit 
where  he  is  waiting  supplies  to  be  sent  to-morrow.  Yesterday  morning  a  force 
of  fifteen  hundred  insurgents  attacked  troops  at  Taguig;  driven  back  by 
Washington  regiment.  Our  loss  two  killed,  twelve  wounded." 

The  dispatch  from  General  Otis  was  immediately  telegraphed  to  President 
McKinley  at  Philadelphia,  who  sent  the  following  reply : 

"Oxis,  Manila:  Your  message  announcing  the  advance  of  MacArthur's 
division  and  the  proposal  of  the  insurgents  for  the  suspension  of  hostilities 
most  gratifying.  Convey  to  officers  and  men  heartfelt  congratulations  and 
gratitude  for  their  signal  gallantry  and  triumphs. 

"  WILLIAM  McKiNLEY." 

While  the  insurgents  were  undoubtedly  tfred  of  the  war,  the  leaders  were 
torn  with  dissensions.  There  was  a  suspicion  that  it  was  hoped  by  means  of 
a  conference  to  ascertain  what  terms  they  could  expect.  If  they  saw  that  any- 
thing was  to  be  gained  by  continuing  the  war,  an  armistice  would  afford  them 
an  opportunity  for  recuperating  their  demoralized  forces,  It  is  an  interesting- 
476 


AGUINALDO   SUING   FOR   PEACE.  477 

Inmmentary  on  Aguinaldo's  scheme  that  only  sixty  of  the  three  hundred 
xierrbers  of  the  Filipino  Congress  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  which  their 
constitution  required. 

A  Filipino  proclamation,  replying  to  the  proclamation  of  the  American 
Commissioners,  appeared.  It  was  signed  by  Madini  for  the  President,  and 
was  dated  at  San  Isidro  April  15.  Written  in  the  usual  grandiose  style,  it 
declared  that  President  McKinley  issued  the  proclamation  in  order  to  force 
the  American  Congress  to  ratify  the  cession  of  the  islands  under  the  treaty  of 
Paris.  "  This  contract  of  cession  was  made  with  the  Spaniards  after  Spanish 
domination  had  been  ended  by  the  valor  of  our  troops,"  the  proclamation 
asserted. 

Aguinaldo's  Troops  Exhausted. 

The  proclamation  complained  that  the  Filipinos  were  not  represented  at 
Paris  during  the  negotiations  of  the  treaty,  and  that  they  were  without  assur- 
ances of  the  fulfillment  of  American  promises.  It  dilated  upon  the  alleged 
Anglo-Saxon  hatred  of  blacks,  and  asserted  a  desire  to  enslave  them.  After 
deploring  a  lack  of  foreign  aid  in  prosecuting  the  war,  the  proclamation  con- 
cluded :  "  We  stand  alone,  but  we  will  fight  to  the  death.  Coming  gener- 
ations will  pray  over  our  graves,  shedding  tears  of  gratitude  for  their  free- 
dom." 

Speaking  of  the  conference  with  the  Filipino  leaders,  President  Schur- 
man,  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  said  that  the  Filipino  emissary  began  the 
conversation  with  a  strong  plea  for  the  independence  of  the  natives  of  Luzon. 
President  Schurman  replied  to  Arguelles  that  he  was  unable  to  discuss  the 
independence  of  the  Filipinos. 

"  I  told  Arguelles,"  said  President  Schurman,"  that  American  sovereignty 
over  the  Philippines  was  an  established  fact,  and  for  this  reason  I  declined 
to  discuss  any  kind  of  a  treaty.  I  also  pointed  out  to  Colonel  Arguelles  that 
the  suspension  of  hostilities  was  a  military  matter  which  should  be  settled  by 
the  military  officers,  so  I  would  have  to  decline  to  talk  on  that  point.  Ar- 
guelles seemed  very  much  depressed  at  not  being  able  to  secure  the  independ- 
ence of  the  insurgents.  He  practically  admitted  that  the  resources  of  the  men 
following  Aguinaldo  were  exhausted.  He  told  me  that  the  insurgents  desired 
peace.  He  admitted  that  it  should  come  on  terms  thoroughly  honorable  to 
America,  but  at  the  same  time  said  the  terms  should  not  be  made  such  as 
would  be  humiliating  to  the  Filipinos.  Colonel  Arguelles  claimed  he  con- 
sidered the  unconditional  surrender  demanded  by  General  Otis  as  most  hu- 
miliating to  his  countrymen." 

President  Schurman  evidently  did  not  think  the  terms  demanded  by  Gen- 
eral Otis  unjust. 


478  AGUINALDO   SUING   FOR    PEACE. 

The  following  is  a  detailed  account  of  the  proposals  sent  by  the  insurgent 
authorities.  Colonel  Arguelles  and  Lieutenant  Bernal,  the  members  of  insur 
gent  General  Luna's  staff,  who  came  through  the  American  lines  near  Calum* 
pit,  arrived  in  Manila  in  the  afternoon  of  the  28th  to  consult  with  General 
Otis  regarding  peace  negotiations.  They  reported  that  Aguinaldo  was  at 
San  Isidro. 

General  Otis  said :  "  The  insurgents  thought  that  their  position  on  the 
river  bank  at  Calumpit  was  impregnable.  There  they  made  a  successful  stand 
against  the  Spaniards  in  1896.  Our  success  in  storming  their  strong  intrench- 
ments  has  demoralized  them  and  the  people  are  ready  to  give  up  the  fight. 
As  to  the  emissaries  who  have  been  sent  by  General  Luna,  my  opinion  is 
that  they  desire  to  gain  time.  They  say  that  they  wish  to  submit  the  ques- 
tion of  continuing  the  war  or  not  to  their  Congress,  meeting  in  May.  These 
leaders  think  that  they  represent  the  Filipino  people.  I  answered  that  I  would 
be  glad  to  receive  emissaries  from  the  insurgent  chiefs,  provided  they  came 
with  a  proposition  for  absolute  surrender.  These  were  the  only  terms  that  I 
could  consider." 

Negotiations  were  Fruitless. 

The  Filipino  officers  attracted  much  attention.  They  were  dressed  in 
uniforms  of  checked  blue  and  white  cloth,  and  wore  straw  hats.  They  carried 
no  sidearms.  They  were  escorted  directly  to  the  office  of  General  Otis,  where 
Jacob  G.  Schurman,  president  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  and  Charles 
Denby,  a  member  of  the  commission,  joined  the  party.  The  news  of  the 
arrival  of  Filipino  officers  under  a  flag  of  truce  spread  through  the  city  rap- 
idly, and  many  officers  went  to  the  palace,  while  a  crowd  of  natives  gathered 
in  the  square  opposite  the  palace. 

After  a  two  hours'  conference  the  Filipino  officers,  escorted  by  American 
officers,  left  the  palace.  They  did  not  look  at  all  pleased  as  a  result  of  their 
talk  with  General  Otis  and  the  members  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  and  it 
was  learned  that  the  negotiations  for  peace  had  thus  far  been  without  effect. 

Arguelles  and  Bernal  told  General  Otis  that  they  represented  General 
Luna,  who  had  been  requested  by  Aguinaldo  to  ask  General  Otis  for  a  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities  in  order  to  allow  time  for  the  summoning  of  the  Filipino 
Congress,  which  would  decide  whether  the  people  wanted  peace.  General 
Otis  replied  in  effect  that  he  did  not  recognize  the  existence  of  a  Filipino  gov- 
ernment. Aguinaldo  evidently  selected  the  army  as  a  cloak  for  his  Congress, 
hoping  by  subterfuge  to  overcome  General  Otis'  consistent  policy  of  ignoring 
the  Filipino  government. 

The  Filipinos  argued  that  it  was  impossible  to  arrange  an  armistice  with- 


AGUINALDO   SUING   FOR   PEACE.  479 

out  the  sanction  of  the  Congress.  General  Otis  punctured  this  assumption 
by  remarking  that  if  Aguinaldo  could  make  war  without  the  Congress  he 
could  stop  it  without  reference  to  that  body.  One  of  the  conferees  remarked 
after  the  meeting  that  the  Filipinos  were  shrewder  than  white  men  in  diplo- 
macy, as  the  Malays  are  credited  with  being.  "  General  Otis,"  said  President 
Schurman,  in  discussing  this  feature  of  the  case,  "  is  doing  with  brother  Fili- 
pinos just  what  General  Grant  did  to  brother  Americans  at  Appomattox." 

During  the  conversation  Colonel  Arguelles  reiterated  a  dozen  times  the 
necessity  of  enabling  the  Filipinos  to  surrender  without  the  loss  of  honor. 
"Pag  Con  Diguidad"  was  the  expression  he  so  frequently  used.  President 
Schurman  suggested  what  seemed  to  him  a  better  emollient  to  the  insurgents. 
He  said  that  if  they  surrendered  immediately  the  commission  would  invite 
them  to  co-operate  with  it  in  proposing  a  form  of  government,  which  would 
be  submitted  to  President  McKinley.  He  promised  that  if  his  suggestions 
were  followed  out  the  views  and  representations  of  the  Filipino  leaders  would 
be  considered  earnestly  by  the  Commission. 

Professor  Schurman  assured  Colonel  Arguelles  that  the  Commission 
desired  to  draft  a  scheme  of  government  which  would  satisfy  all  legitimate 
aspirations  of  the  Filipinos.  To  accept  these  proposals,  he  assured  the 
insurgent  officer,  would  bring  peace  with  dignity,  and  also  with  influence,  to 
the  insurgents.  The  members  of  the  Commission  said  that  the  remarks  of 
Colonel  Arguelles  which  followed  this  proposition  were  the  first  obvious 
manifestations  of  weakness.  While  he  demurred  at  the  idea  of  an  uncondL 
tional  surrender,  he  evidently  was  taken  greatly  with  what  President  Schur- 
man said  in  regard  to  the  part  the  Filipinos  would  be  permitted  to  take  in  the 
drafting  of  the  new  form  of  government. 

General  Lawton  Pushing  Forward. 

While  it  was  the  general  expectation  among  the  Americans  that  the 
Filipino  emissaries  would  return  with  revised  proposals  from  General  Antonio 
Luna,  Major  General  Otis  did  not  let  this  prospect  interfere  with  his  prepara. 
tions  for  pushing  the  war.  He  ordered  Major  General  Lawton  to  return  to 
Angat,  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Norzagaray,  and  not  to  advance  aggressively 
while  the  negotiations  were  pending.  General  MacArthur  was  apparently 
acting  on  the  same  policy,  but  he  was  repairing  bridges  and  strengthening  the 
lines  of  his  force,  which  stretched  out  with  a  four-mile  front  and  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  enemy. 

The  possibilities  of  peace  were  gratifying  to  a  great  majority  of  the  army, 
who  regarded  the  war  as  an  unpleasant  duty  that  must  be  performed  accord- 
ing to  American  traditions.  Manila  was  cheerful  over  the  prospect  of  a 


480  AGUINALDO   SUING   FOR   PEACE. 

return  to  normal  life,  though  there  were  skeptics  who  remarked  that  a  truce 
would  enable  the  insurgents  to  rest  until  the  rainy  season,  upon  which  they 
were  depending  as  an  important  aid.  The  prisoners  report  that  there  were 
75,000  refugees  north  of  San  Fernando.  This  is  not  impossible,  considering 
the  thickly  populated  region  which  the  Americans  cleared.  It  was  reported 
also  that  small-pox  was  spreading  among  them. 

When  Dean  C.  Worcester,  of  the  United  States  Philippine  Commission, 
who  accompanied  the  Filipino  emissaries  from  Calumpit,  said  to  Colonel 
Manuel  Arguelles  that  the  Americans  were  under  no  obligations  to  refrain 
from  righting,  the  Filipino  officer  replied :  "  Would  you  fight  while  we  are 
discussing  terms  of  peace  ?  " 

Mr.  Worcester  responded  with  the  suggestion  that  an  armistice  would 
give  the  Filipino  leaders  time  to  escape. 

Plan  of  Government  Proposed. 

"  My  God  !  where  would  we  escape  to  ?  "  the  Filipino  exclaimed,  refer- 
ring in  this  to  the  menacing  hostile  tribes  behind  the  Filipino  lines.  Colonel 
Arguelles  said  that  he  was  much  disappointed  in  the  results  of  his  mission. 
He  said  also  that  Aguinaldo  expected  Calumpit  to  be  the  cemetery  of  the 
American  army. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Wallace,  of  the  First  Montana  Regiment ;  Major 
Adams  and  Major  Shields,  who  slept  on  the  night  of  the  28th  in  General 
Luna's  camp,  where  they  went  to  inform  the  Filipinos  that  their  envoys  would 
return  in  safety,  found  the  Filipino  commander  cordial,  the  Filipino  troops 
removing  their  hats  as  the  Americans  passed.  The  Filipinos  complained  to 
them  that  the  Americans  used  explosive  bullets,  which  is  not  the  fact.  The 
American  officers  retorted  that  the  copper  shells  used  by  the  Filipinos  are 
worse  than  explosive  bullets.  General  Luna  said  he  regretted  being  obliged 
to  kill  Americans,  but  that  was  his  business. 

General  Wheaton  entertained  Colonel  Arguelles  and  Lieutenant  Jose 
Bernal  and  provided  them  with  horses  to  return  to  their  camp.  In  the  course 
of  the  conference  Jacob  C.  Schurman,  chairman  of  the  United  States  Philip- 
pines Commission,  told  Colonel  Arguelles  that  if  the  insurgents  would  no\v 
lay  down  their  arms,  he  and  his  colleagues  of  the  Commission  would  consult 
them  regarding  the  plan  of  government  to  be  submitted  to  President  McKin- 
ley.  He  said  he  could  not  promise  that  all  of  their  suggestions  would  be 
adopted,  but  he  could  assure  them  that  there  would  be  a  presumption  in  favor 
of  their  suggestions,  adding  that  the  commissioners  would  be  especially  desir- 
ous of  satisfying  the  legitimate  aspirations  of  the  Filipinos  by  granting  any 
reasonable  requests. 


AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  PEACE.  481 

Mr.  Schurman  said :  "  I  believe  Colonel  Arguelles  is  personally  sincere 
and  honest,  though  I  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  sentiments  and  aims 
of  the  authorities  behind  him.  The  Filipinos  people,  like  other  Asiatic  peo- 
ples, have  no  trust  in  mere  words,  without  force  behind  them,  but,  with  force, 
I  consider  a  conciliatory  spirit  of  the  utmost  importance. 

"  I  believe  that,  when  peace  has  been  established,  governing  the  Filipinos1 
will  not  be  a  difficult  matter,  provided  we  show  them  firmness,  justice  and' 
kindliness.  At  the  present  time  they  distrust  and  dislike  us,  but  these  senti- 
ments, which  are,  perhaps,  not  unnatural,  will  soon  be  dispelled  by  the  effects 
of  the  good  government  we  have  promised  to  establish  there.  It  will  be  the 
foremost  duty  of  American  officials  to  understand  and  sympathize  with  the 
Filipinos  themselves." 

Celebration  of  Dewey  Day. 

May  1st,  the  anniversary  of  Admiral  Dewey's  great  naval  victory  in  the 
harbor  of  Manila,  was  observed  throughout  the  United  States  by  a  profuse 
display  of  flags,  by  public  meetings  in  some  places  and  by  a  brilliant  naval 
parade  in  the  waters  of  the  Delaware  at  Philadelphia.  The  arrival  of  the 
Raleigh,  one  of  Admiral  Dewey's  ships,  at  Philadelphia  created  much 
enthusiasm. 

The  day  was  generally  observed,  and  as  an  expression  of  the  good  will 
of  the  United  States,  President  McKinley  forwarded  to  Admiral  Dewey  the 
following  cablegram :  "  On  this  anniversary  of  your  great  victory  the  people 
of  the  United  States  unite  in  an  expression  of  affection  and  gratitude  to  your- 
self and  the  brave  officers  and  men  of  your  fleet,  whose  brilliant  achievements 
marked  an  epoch  in  history  which  will  live  in  the  annals  of  the  world's  heroic 
deeds.  (Signed)  "WILLIAM  McKiNLEY." 

General  Lawton's  force  was  engaged  in  hard  fighting  early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  May  2d.  He  marched  in  a  westerly  direction  on  Balinag,  where  a 
large  body  of  rebels  was  concentrated.  General  Hale  started  from  Calumpit 
at  daybreak  with  the  Iowa  and  South  Dakota  regiments,  and  a  squad  of 
cavalry  and  two  guns  of  the  Utah  battery  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  to 
co-operate  with  the  Macabebees,  who  asked  the  Americans  to  arm  them  ir? 
order  that  they  might  fight  the  Tagals.  The  Macabebees  had  already  orgai 
ized  a  company  of  Bolomen  to  guard  the  town.  They  brought  Tagal  prisoners 
to  General  MacArthur. 

Refugees  reported  that  the  Filipino  army  was  deserting  San  Fernando 
and  massing  at  Santo  Tomas,  where  General  Luna's  headquarters  were  located, 
and  that  strong  entrenchments  were  being  constructed  at  the  sides  of  the  rail- 
way and  on  the  swamp  front,  in  the  best  positions  possible. 
31-D 


482  AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  PEACE. 

Major  Manuel  Arguelles  and  Lieutenant  Jose  Bernal,  of  the  staff  of 
General  Luna,  returned  to  Manila  to  renew  and  urge  the  request  of  General 
Luna  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  They  found  their  task  a  most  uncongenial 
one.  The  two  officers  were  received  in  conference  by  General  Otis.  The 
proposals  which  they  had  to  submit  differed  but  slightly  from  those  which 
they  brought  from  the  Filipino  commander  in  the  first  place.  They  desired 
ja  little  time  in  which  to  summon  Congress,  and  expressed  themselves  as  con- 
fident that  the  Congress  would  decree  peace,  because  the  people  desired  it. 

They  represented  that  Aguinaldo  was  without  power  to  surrender  the 
army,  and  that  the  Congress  must  decide  that  question.  Incidentally  the 
Filipino  envoys  asserted  that  Aguinaldo  had  not  yet  made  a  fair  test  of  his 
strength  against  the  American  forces,  because  only  one-third  of  his  army 
had  been  assembled  together. 

The  Disguise  Thrown  Off. 

On  May  4th  there  was  a  conference  lasting  two  hours  between  Major 
General  E.  S.  Otis  and  the  envoys  who  came  from  General  Antonio  Luna 
bearing  a  proposal  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  General  Otis  adhered  to  his 
refusal  to  recognize  the  so-called  government  of  the  insurgents.  The  Fili* 
pinos  then  asked  for  a  truce  of  three  months  to  enable  Aguinaldo  to  summon 
the  Congress  and  consult  with  the  insurgent  leaders  or  others  of  the  islands. 
The  envoys  admitted  the  contention  of  General  Otis  that  Aguinaldo  had  little 
control  over  affairs  outside  of  the  island  of  Luzon. 

The  Filipino  envoys  then  abandoned  the  pretense  under  which  they 
came  to  General  Otis  that  they  represented  General  Antonio  Luna,  and 
announced  that  they  came  as  representatives  of  Aguinaldo  himself.  The  two 
emissaries  used  all  their  wiles  to  secure  a  reply  from  General  Otis  to  the 
letter  from  Senor  Mabini,  Aguinaldo's  Prime  Minister  and  Minister  of  For- 
eign Affairs  in  the  dictator's  Cabinet,  which  they  presented  to  General  Otis 
on  May  $d ;  but  General  Otis  refused  to  make  any  reply  on  the  ground  that 
to  do  so  would  be  equivalent  to  a  recognition  of  the  so-called  government  of 
the  Filipinos. 

Major  Arguelles  said  that  Aguinaldo  knew  he  would  be  overpowered  in 
f  ime,  but  that  he  would  be  able  to  continue  the  fight  for  months,  and  that  he 
would  do  so  unless  he  were  given  peace  with  dignity. 

By  filling  in  the  roads  where  it  was  required,  putting  canoes  on  the  rivers 
and  plowing  fields  south  of  Malolos,  the  American  army  was  put  in  a  fine 
position  for  a  decisive  blow.  General  MacArthur  moved  his  headquarters  to 
San  Vicente  across  the  Rio  Grande.  General  Wheaton's  brigade  advanced 
beyond  Apalit.  General  Hale  returned  to  co-operate  with  General  Lawton, 


AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  frEACfc  483 

bn  May  5th,  Major  General  MacArthur  carried  San  Tomas,  after  en- 
Countering  a  strong  resistance.  In  spite  of  the  peaceful  overtures  of  their 
commissioners,  the  Filipinos  vigorously  resisted  the  advance  of  General 
MacArthur's  division  from  Apalit  towards  San  Fernando,  fighting  desper- 
ately at  long  range  after  running  from  trench  to  trench  when  driven  out  by 
the  American  artillery. 

The  movement  commenced  at  half-past  five  in  the  morning.  General' 
Male's  brigade  advanced  along  the  road  a  few  miles  west  of  the  railway  line. 
General  Wheaton,  with  Hotchkiss  and  Gatling  guns,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant  Naylor,  of  the  Utah  Light  Artillery,  mounted  on  hand  cars, 
pushed  ahead. 

Strong  Resistance  from  the  Insurgents. 

Both  brigades  met  with  resistance  simultaneously  on  approaching  the 
river  near  San  Tomas,  which  is  about  eight  kilometers  from  Apalit.  The 
centre  span  of  the  railroad  bridge  had  dropped  into  the  river,  and  the  rebels 
had  only  left  a  small  force  to  check  General  Wheaton,  their  main  body  lining 
the  strong  trenches  in  front  of  General  Hale. 

Although  the  attacking  force  poured  a  very  heavy  artillery  and  musketry 
fire  across  the  river,  the  enemy  stubbornly  resisted  for  over  an  hour,  ultimately 
breaking  when  Major  Young  shelled  their  left  flank,  and  then  retreating 
along  the  river  bank  under  cover. 

So  soon  as  they  discovered  that  the  nature  of  the  country  would  permit 
only  a  few  skirmishers  on  each  side  of  the  embankment,  the  rebels  regained 
their  courage  and  fought  desperately  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  in  the 
face  of  the  American  volleys  and  a  rapid-fire  fusillade,  until  flanked  by  the 
Montana  Regiment.  Then  a  general  scramble  ensued,  most  of  the  enemy 
boarding  trains  that  were  in  readiness  and  the  others  taking  the  road  to  San 
Fernando,  after  burning  the  villages  of  San  Tomas  and  Minalin. 

About  noon  General  Wheaton  crossed  the  broken  bridge,  cleared  the 
stragglers  out  of  the  villages  and  advanced  towards  San  Fernando.  General 
Hale  effected  a  crossing  simultaneously,  after  a  slight  delay  necessary  ta 
.repair  a  stone  bridge. 

|  After  a  short  rest  the  advance  was  continued,  General  Wheaton  en« 
'countering  the  first  series  of  entrenchments  near  San  Fernando.  The  rebels 
inow  opened  a  hot  fire.  ( 

Colonel  Funston,  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas,  was  wounded,  one  lieutenant 
was  killed  and  four  were  wounded  while  leading  four  companies  of  the  Kansas 
Regiment  to  outflank  the  enemy.  General  Hale  pushed  along  the  road, 
flanking  the  trenches. 


AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  PEACE. 

On  May  I?th  General  Lawton's  advance  guard,  under  Colonel  Summers, 
of  the  Oregon  troops,  took  San  Isidro,  the  insurgent  capital,  at  8.30  o'clock 
A.M.  Colonel  Summers's  command,  consisting  of  the  Twenty- second  In- 
fantry on  the  left,  the  Minnesota  Regiment  in  the  centre  and  the  Oregon  and 
North  Dakota  Regiments  on  the  right,  preceded  by  scouts  and  accompanied 
by  Scott's  Battery  of  Artillery,  advanced  from  Baluarte  at  daylight. 

The  troops  first  encountered  the  enemy  two  miles  from  San  Isidro.  The 
rebels  retired  when  our  artillery  opened  fire.  Just  outside  the  town  a  rebel 
force  estimated  to  number  2,000  men  was  entrenched.  It  made  a  slight 
resistance,  but  evacuated  its  position  when  our  troops  turned  its  right  flank. 
The  enemy's  loss  was  fifteen  men  killed  and  twenty  wounded.  Our  troops 
also  captured  three  prisoners  and  many  rifles.  On  the  American  side  one 
soldier  of  the  Oregon  Regiment  and  one  of  the  Minnesota  Regiment 
were  slightly  wounded.  After  capturing  the  town,  Colonel  Summers' 
troops  continued  the  advance,  pursuing  the  retreating  rebels  for  several 
miles. 

The  expedition  under  Major  Kobbe,  of  the  Third  Artillery,  consisting  of 
the  Seventeenth  Infantry,  a  battalion  of  the  Ninth  and  one  battery  of  the 
First  Artillery,  left  Calumpit  at  daybreak  on  the  i/th,  marching  from  Rio 
Grande  to  join  General  Lawton's  division  at  Arayat.  A  flotilla  of  cascoes 
loaded  with  supplies  also  proceeded  up  the  river.  The  forces  were  conveyed 
by  the  gunboats  under  Captain  Grant. 

Natives  Return  to  their  Homes. 

Although  the  rebels  still  threatened  San  Fernando  in  considerable  force, 
large  numbers  of  natives,  a  majority  of  them  being  families  with  their  house- 
hold goods,  returned  to  the  town  inside  the  American  lines,  at  Apalit  espec- 
ially. Many  of  the  richer  Filipinos  came  to  Manila  and  laborers  resumed 
work  in  the  rice  fields.  The  latter  showed  their  respect  for  American  sover- 
eignty by  removing  their  hats  to  the  passing  trains.  Owing  to  the  bad  con- 
dition of  the  wagon  roads  the  work  of  repairing  the  railroad  was  actively 
pushed.  All  the  broken  bridges  were  trestled. 

At  daylight  on  the  I7th  Lieutenant  Hill,  who,  with  twenty-five  men  01 
the  Fourth  Infantry,  was  concealed  in  the  trenches  near  Pasig,  was  attacked 
by  a  force  of  rebels,  who  evidently  imagined  they  could  capture  one  of  our 
outposts,  because  only  a  few  shots  had  been  fired  by  the  American  force. 
A  few  volleys  put  the  enemy  to  flight,  the  rebels  losing  five  men  killed  and 
a  number  of  wounded.  The  army  gunboat  "Napingdan  returned  to  Manila 
from  the  lake,  having  been  disabled  by  a  cannon  shot  from  a  rebel  position 
near  Santa  Gruz,  which  broke  her  rudder-post. 


AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR   PEACE.  485 

The  following  dispatch  had  been  received  at  the  War  Department  at 
Washington  on  the  i/th: 

"  Situation  as  follows :  Lawton,  with  tact  and  ability,  has  covered  Bulacan 
Province  with  his  column,  and  driven  insurgent  troops  northward  into  San 
Isidro,  second  insurgent  capital,  which  he  captured  this  morning ;  is  now 
driving  enemy  northward  into  mountains. 

"  He  has  constant  fighting,  inflicting  heavy  loss  and  suffering ;  few 
casualties ;  appearance  of  his  troops  on  flanks  of  enemy  behind  entrench- 
ments thrown  up  at  every  strategic  point  and  town  very  demoralizing  to  the 
insurgents,  and  has  given  them  no  opportunity  to  reconcentrate  scattered 
troops.  Kobbe's  column,  with  gunboats,  proceeding  up  Rio  Grande. 

"  OTIS." 

The  dispatch  of  General  Otis  regarding  the  capture  of  San  Isidro  by 
General  Lawton,  and  his  forcing  of  the  scattered  insurgent  ranks  into  the 
mountains,  was  so  pleasing  to  Mr.  McKinley  that  he  immediately  sent  his 
congratulations  to  General  Lawton  in  the  following  telegram : 

"  To  OTIS,  Manila :  Convey  to  General  Lawton  and  the  gallant  men  of 
his  command  my  congratulations  upon  the  successful  operations  during  the 
past  month  resulting  in  the  capture  this  morning  of  San  Isidro. 

"WILLIAM  McKiNLEY." 

Resignation  of  Aguinaldo's  Cabinet. 

The  members  of  Aguinaldo's  Cabinet  tendered  their  resignations  on 
May  3d.  Coupled  with  the  various  resignations  was  the  unanimous  recom- 
mendation that  Mabino  be  retained  as  Secretary  of  State.  The  Filipinos 
claimed  that  the  motive  of  this  wholesale  resignation  was  to  leave  Aguinaldo 
at  liberty  to  appoint  a  new  Cabinet  if  desired.  Aguinaldo,  in  answer  to  the 
resignations,  sent  a  message  to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  so-called 
Filipino  Government  and  said  that  he  was  satisfied  with  the  personnel  of  the 
present  Cabinet.  Then  he  followed  with  a  long  resume  of  the  situation. 

The  following  are  extracts  of  the  statement  which  Aguinaldo  sent  to  the 
Filipino  Legislature : 

"  You  are  obliged  to  inaugurate  your  difficult  task  at  the  moment  of 
greatest  anguish  to  the  country ;  when  the  guns  of  the  enemy  do  not  respect 
either  life,  honor  or  public  interest.  The  representative  of  the  American 
Government  brought  us  from  Hong  Kong  with  promises  that  he  would  aid 
in  the  reconquest  of  this  country's  lost  liberty.  Fortunately  the  people, 
anticipating  my  desires,  had  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  Spanish  dominion  with- 
out foreign  aid, 


486  AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  PEACE. 

"  Trusting  in  the  honesty  of  the  Americans,  and  recognizing  that  our 
easy  triumph  was  partly  due  to  their  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  I  have 
obtained  the  friendship  of  those  representatives  by  assuring  them  that  the 
Filipinos  preferred  an  alliance  with  America  to  any  other  nation.  Unfor- 
tunately my  efforts  encountered  their  pretension,  which  was  as  inconceivable 
as  it  was  firm,  that  I  should  be  subservient  to  their  orders.  My  negative 
answer  induced  them  to  decline  to  recognize  our  government." 

Aguinaldo,  in  continuing  his  address  to  the  Legislature,  accused  the  au- 
thorities at  Washington  with  precipitating  the  present  hostilities  without 
warning  and  without  declaring  war  because  President  McKinley  believed  the 
sentiment  of  the  people  of  America  was  going  rapidly  against  the  acquire- 
ment of  the  Philippines.  He  acknowledged  the  superiority  of  arms,  of  dis- 
cipline and  of  the  numbers  of  the  American  forces. 

The  Filipino  Commander  Praises  his  Troops. 

The  Filipino  soldiers  received  warm  praise  in  the  address  for  their  bra- 
very in  maintaining  the  unequal  struggle,  as  follows  : 

"  I  am  deeply  moved  by  such  an  exhibition  of  virtue  and  patriotism.  I 
am  convinced  that  I  should  not  be  permitted  to  abuse  the  generous  sentiment 
of  these  unfortunate  people  any  longer,  or  continue  to  extend  the  strife  and 
their  sacrifices,  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  I  have  solicited  the  mem- 
bers of  the  American  Philippine  Commission  for  a  temporary  but  not  general 
suspension  of  hostilities.  I  did  this  in  order  to  secure  time  in  which  to  allow 
the  Filipinos  to  consider  the  sad  situation  and  debate  upon  the  guarantee  of 
liberty  which  might  be  offered  by  our  enemies,  but  the  Americans  refused 
to  consider  without  previous  unconditional  submission  to  their  orders.  Our 
efforts  were  all  against  any  such  plan,  which  would  oblige  us  to  recognize 
their  sovereignty  with  no  guarantee  except  their  promise  of  liberty. 

"  I  am  now  fully  convinced  that  our  arms  constitute  the  sole  means  of 
gaining  our  aspirations.  I  believe  this  because  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  pro- 
mises made  by  the  American  Government,  it  is  necessary  that  a  formal  agree- 
ment be  drawn  up  between  the  Filipinos  and  the  Americans.  This  agree- 
ment must  be  approved  by  the  American  Congress.  No  such  document  ex- 
ists, nor  will  the  Americans  give  the  Filipinos  time  to  draft  one  conformable 
with  our  desires  and  customs.  Therefore  it  is  evident  they  desire  to  fulfill 
the  promises  they  have  made  only  when  it  is  convenient  for  them. 

"  It  would  be  cruelty  for  us  to  submit  with  such  indiscretion  and 
abandon  our  defenseless  people  to  the  merciless  foreign  guns  and  cannon 
which  would  vomit  their  greatest  abuses  upon  us  after  we  had  relinquished 
our  arms,  You  will  understand  there  is  no  other  recourse  for  me  than  to. 


AGUINALDO   SUING   FOR   PEACE.  487 

maintain  this  struggle  till  death.  I  rest  with  the  assurance  that  we  will 
achieve  a  final  triumph,  which  will  be  the  more  brilliant  on  account  of  the 
terrible  obstacles  we  will  have  to  overcome.  Providential  events  unforeseen 
may  change  the  outcome  of  this  struggle  in  a  single  instance." 

That  the  insurgents  were  disintegrated  and  demoralized  was  perfectly 
manifest.  General  Lawton,  who  was  pushing  the  line  of  the  rebel  retreat 
along  the  Rio  Grande,  flung  his  advance,  which  at  last  advices  was  resting 
at  San  Miguel,  northward  about  twelve  miles,  took  San  Isidro,  the  second  in- 
surgent capital,  and  when  Otis'  dispatch  was  sent  was  still  pressing  the 
enemy  northward.  The  fact  that  he  was  sustaining  few  losses  in  his  forward 
movement,  although  in  almost  continual  contact  with  the  enemy,  was  another 
proof  of  their  utter  demoralization. 

More  Rumors  of  Peace. 

It  was  predicted  that  it  would  soon  be  the  mountains  or  the  sea  for  the 
insurgents.  As  our  troops  could  be  transported  by  sea  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Agno  and  a  new  base  of  operations  established  there,  it  would  be  folly  for 
them  to  take  that  course.  Scattered,  demoralized  and  disheartened,  it  was 
almost  certain  that  the  rebels  in  desperation  would  retreat  into  the  fastnesses 
of  the  mountains,  where  they  would  keep  up  a  guerilla  warfare  indefinitely  or 
until  their  leaders  came  to  their  senses. 

General  Otis  cabled  the  War  Department  on  May  i8th  that  representa- 
tives of  Aguinaldo  were  seeking  terms  of  peace.  He  said  the  forces  of  the 
insurgents  were  scattering  in  the  mountains.  Following  is  General  Otis's 
cable  : 

"  Representatives  of  insurgents'  cabinet  and  Aguinaldo  in  mountains 
twelve  miles  north  San  Isidro,  which  abandoned  1 5th  inst. ;  will  send  in  com- 
mission to-morrow  to  seek  terms  of  peace. 

"  Majority  of  force  confronting  MacArthur  at  San  Fernando  has  retired 
to  Tarlac,  tearing  up  two  miles  of  railway ;  this  force  has  decreased  to  about 
twenty-five  hundred. 

"  Scouting  parties  and  detachments  moving  to-day  in  various  directions, 
Kobbe,  with  column,  at  Candava,  on  Rio  Grande.  Great  majority  of  inhabi- 
tants of  provinces  over  which  troops  have  moved  anxious  for  peace,  sup- 
ported by  members  insurgent  cabinet.  Aspect  of  affairs  at  present  favorable. 

"  OTIS." 

Two  Spanish  prisoners,  who  arrived  here  from  Nueva  Ecika,  said  Aguin- 
aldo had  lost  prestige  with  the  rebel  army,  which  was  described  as  being 
completely  demoralized,  short  of  food,  suffering  from  diseases,  afraid  of  th^ 
Americans,  and  rapidly  dissolving  into  armed  bands  of  pillagers, 


488  AGUINALDO  SUING  FOR  PEACE. 

On  May  24th  thirty  Filipinos  were  killed  and  over  sixty  wounded  in  the 
battle  between  the  American  forces  and  the  insurgents,  one  mile  north  of  San 
Fernando.  The  Americans  lost  one  man.  Twelve  of  our  troops  were 
wounded.  The  insurgents  made  the  attack.  About  9  o'clock  the  Filipinos 
opened  fire  upon  the  outposts  of  General  MacArthur's  command.  The 
American  scouts  fought  bravely,  and  held  the  natives  back  until  they  were 
reinforced  by  troops  from  San  Fernando.  General  MacArthur,  at  the  head 
of  two  battalions  of  the  Montana  Regiment,  and  General  Funston,  leading 
two  battalions  of  the  Kansas  Regiment ;  two  guns  from  the  Utah  Battery, 
one  Hotchkiss  and  one  Gatling  gun  hurried  to  the  assistance  of  outposts. 

Insurgents  Caught  in  a  Trap. 

The  insurgents  were  occupying  the  trenches  which  they  had  previously 
vacated  at  the  fall  of  San  Fernando.  The  Kansas  troops  deployed  to  the 
right,  while  the  Montana  soldiers  went  to  the  extreme  left.  The  artillery  was 
left  in  the  centre  of  the  line.  The  Filipinos  made  an  obstinate  resistance. 
Finally  they  attempted  to  retreat,  but  found  themselves  flanked  by  the  Kansas 
troops.  General  Funston  charged  his  men  and  drove  the  insurgents  right 
over  into  the  fire  of  the  Montana  volunteers.  Finally  they  escaped  from  this 
fearful  fire,  but  they  left  their  dead  and  wounded  where  they  had  dropped  on 
the  battlefield.  Beside  the  killed  and  wounded  ninety  were  made  prisoners, 
while  over  100  stands  of  arms  were  captured,  having  been  dropped  by  the 
natives  in  their  wild  flight  from  the  Americans'  fire. 

An  engagement  the  preceding  evening,  in  which  an  escort,  composed  of 
parts  of  the  Third  and  Twenty-second  Infantry,  covered  the  operation  of 
signal  corps  men  between  San  Miguel  and  Balinag,  indicated  that  the  in- 
surgents were  returning  in  the  wake  of  General  Lawton's  command  to  their 
former  positions.  In  this  running  fight  one  American  was  killed  and  one 
officer  and  fourteen  privates  were  wounded.  Twenty  insurgents  were  captured 
and  many  were  killed. 

The  Filipino  Peace  Commissioners  left  Manila  the  next  day  and  returned 
to  the  rebel  lines  to  make  their  report  to  Aguinaldo,  President  Schurman 
said  that  the  visiting  commissioners  expressed  themselves  as  pleased  with 
their  reception  and  with  the  friendly  attitude  of  the  American  authorities. 
At  a  seven-hour  session  the  American  peace  proposition  was  discussed  by 
the  insurgent  representatives  and  the  American  Commissioners. 
r  The  Filipinos  were  non-committal  as  to  their  opinion  of  the  terms  offered 
the-m.  An  old  resident  of  Manila,  who  was  familiar  with  the  conditions 
which  existed  among  the  natives  of  the  island  declared  that,  in  his  opinion, 
nothing  definite  would  result 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Vigorous  Campaign  Against  the  Insurgents. 

HE  opening  of  a  new  and  vigorous  campaign  against  the  insurgents 
was  inaugurated  on  June  1st.  The  capture  of  Cainta  on  the  3rd 
was  followed  on  the  4th  by  the  occupation  of  Antipolo  after  a  run- 
ning fight  between  the  forces  of  General  Hall  and  the  insurgents 
lasting  nearly  twenty-four  hours,  the  rebels  being  forced  to  retreat  by  the  gal- 
lant charges  and  well-directed  fire  of  the  American  troops.  The  artillery 
played  an  important  part  in  the  battle,  our  guns  shelling  the  jungle  which 
concealed  the  rebels  and  inflicting  heavy  loss. 

The  original  plan  was  to  surround  the  forces  of  General  Pio  del  Pilar,  so 
that  he  must  retreat  to  the  Morong  peninsula,  where  capture  would  have  been 
inevitable.  This  was  not  a  complete  success,  because  General  Hall's  column 
found  the  country  full  of  handicaps  to  marching.  There  were  several  streams 
to  be  bridged  or  forded,  and  the  troops  frequently  floundered  through  morasses^ 
waist  deep  in  mud,  an  experience  which,  under  the  terrific  sun,  exhausted  the 
Americans  quite  beyond  endurance.  Most  of  General  Pio  del  Pinar's  follow- 
ers are  supposed  to  have  escaped  northward,  probably  reaching  Bosoboso,  a 
stronghold  in  the  mountains. 

Ran  Aground  in  the  Shallows. 

Colonel  Wholley,  having  successfully  completed  his  share  of  the  move- 
ment, brought  the  Washington  regiment  to  the  river  Pasig,  where  about  mid- 
night the  men  embarked  upon  cascoes  and  started  for  their  destination,  under 
the  convoy  of  the  gunboats. 

They  encountered  a  repetition  of  the  experience  undergone  by  almost 
every  expedition  on  attempting  to  enter  Laguna  de  Bay,  as  the  boats  went 
aground  in  the  shallows  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  were  detained  there 
several  hours.  Major  General  Lawton,  in  the  meantime,  was  indefatigable, 
riding  from  one  force  to  another  and  supervising  the  loading  of  the  cascoes, 
without  sleep  for  two  nights. 

General  Hall's  column,  which  assembled  at  the  water  works  or  pumping 
station  late  on  the  2nd,  under  cover  of  a  moonless  sky,  consisted  of  the  Second 
Oregon  Volunteers,  who  marched  to  the  point  of  rendezvous  from  the  city 
barracks ;  a  battalion  of  the  Second  Wyoming  Regiment,  four  troops  of  the 
Fourth  Cavalry — one  mounted  on  the  big  American  horses  which  so  impressed 
the  natives,  the  others  unmounted — two  battalions  of  the  Fourth  Infantry, 

one  battalion  of  the  Ninth  Infantry,  the  first  six  qompanies  of  the  Fint  Cole- 

489 


490  CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS. 

rado  Regiment,  and  two  mountain  guns.    The  men  rolled  themselves  in  their 
blankets  and  lay  upon  the  wet  grass  for  a  few  hours  under  a  drizzling  rain. 

At  4  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd,  they  began  to  cross  the  San 
Mateo  river  and  about  noon  easily  repulsed  a  large  band  of  Filipinos  about 
twelve  miles  east  of  Manila,  between  Mariquina  and  Antipole.  The  Oregon 
regiment,  the  cavalry,  the  artillery  and  the  Fourth  Infantry  accomplished  this 
task,  driving  the  insurgents  from  the  hills,  the  other  troops  being  held  in 
reserve,  but  afterwards  joining  the  main  column  in  the  pursuit  towards  the  seai 

A  running  fight  was  in  progress  all  the  afternoon.  A  Filipino  outpost 
first  attacked  a  few  American  scouts,  whereupon  the  Fourth  Cavalry  formed 
a  skirmish  line  and  easily  drove  the  insurgents  into  the  hills.  Then  the  Ore- 
gon regiment  moved  across  a  wet,  soggy  rice  field,  in  extended  order,  toward 
the  hills,  where  it  was  believed  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  had  concentrated. 
When  the  Oregonians  were  within  about  a  mile  of  the  position,  the  Filipinos 
opened  a  heavy  fire,  the  Americans  replying  and  pressing  forward  more 
rapidly. 

Insurgents  Fleeing  in  a  Panic. 

After  a  few  volleys  the  insurgents  were  seen  scattering  over  the  crest  of 
the  hills  in  every  direction,  and  their  panic  was  increased  when  the  artillery 
opened  upon  them  and  the  shells  began  to  explode  all  around  them,  undoubt- 
edly causing  great  loss  of  life.  The  bombardment  by  the  batteries  and  the 
musketry  was  maintained  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  after  which  not  a  Filipino 
could  be  seen  on  the  hills,  and  not  a  shot  came  from  the  position.  The  heat 
was  intense  and  the  troops  suffered  greatly,  but  they  continued  on  the  trail 
taken  by  the  fleeing  enemy  in  the  hope  of  driving  them  toward  the  lake. 

Colonel  Wholley  with  two  battalions  of  the  First  Washington  Regiment, 
a  battalion  of  the  Twelfth  Infantry,  two  guns  of  Scott's  Battery  and  a  party 
of  scouts  under  Major  Jeisenberger  left  San  Pedro  Macari  on  the  3rd,  and 
after  forcing  the  river  Pasig  advanced  northeast  upon  Cainta,  while  General 
Hall  approached  the  town  from  the  opposite  direction,  the  gunboats  Napidan, 
Covadonga  and  Ceste  co-operating  in  the  river. 

This  important  movement  was  kept  so  secret  that  the  public  thought  the 
plan  was  to  send  General  Ovenshine's  lines  forward  against  the  insurgents 
who  were  intrenched  south  of  the  city.  The  Signal  Corps  displayed  admir- 
able enterprise  in  laying  wires  with  the  troops,  but  the  native  sympathizers 
cut  them  behind  the  army,  even  within  the  American  lines. 

General  Hall's  column  in  the  movement  upon  the  Morong  peninsula 
completed  a  circuit  of  twenty  miles,  over  rough  and  mountainous  country, 
having  two  engagements  with  the  insurgents,  one  of  them  severe,  keeping  up 
aja  almost  constant  fire  against  scattered  bands  of  rebels  for  nearly  twenty- 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS.  491 

four  hours  from  4  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd,  when  the  column  left 
the  pumping  station. 

The  Filipinos  were  driven  in  every  direction,  and  the  country  through 
which  General  Hall  passed  was  pretty  thoroughly  cleared.  At  10  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  4th,  the  column  reached  a  point  a  few  miles  from  Tay 
Tay,  where  General  Hall  was  met  by  General  Lawton,  who  had  already 
entered  the  town  and  found  it  deserted.  General  Hall's  objective  point  was 
Antipolo,  ten  miles  off,  and  there  was  desultory  firing  all  along  the  line  of 
march.  The  gunboats  could  be  heard  shelling  the  hills  in  advance  of  the 
column. 

The  column,  after  driving  the  rebels  from  the  foothills  near  Mariachino, 
with  a  loss  of  but  two  or  three  slightly  wounded,  proceeded  with  all  possible 
haste  toward  Laguna  de  Bay,  the  Fourth  Cavalry  in  the  lead,  the  Oregon 
Regiment  next  and  the  Fourth  Infantry  last.  At  5  o'clock  on  the  3rd,  these 
three  regiments  fought  their  second  battle  of  the  day,  and  it  resulted,  like  the 
the  first,  in  the  complete  rout  of  a  large  Filipino  force  located  in  the  moun- 
tains and  having  every  advantage  of  position. 

Our  Troops  Poured  in  a  Hot  Fire. 

In  this  fight  the  American  loss  was  four  killed — three  of  the  Fourth 
Cavalry  and  one  Oregonian — and  about  fifteen  wounded.  The  Filipino  loss 
could  not  be  ascertained,  but  the  terrific  fire  which  the  Americans  poured 
into  them  for  half  an  hour  must  have  inflicted  severe  punishment.  In  this 
engagement  our  troops  made  one  of  the  most  gallant  charges  of  the  war, 
and  the  enemy  was  forced  to  flee  in  the  greatest  disorder. 

It  was  the  intention  to  press  on  to  Antipolo  at  night,  but  this  was  found 
impossible,  owing  to  the  two  fights  and  the  constant  marching  for  more  than 
twelve  hours,  with  nothing  to  eat  since  morning  and  no  supply  train  in  sight. 
The  troops,  moreover,  suffered  from  the  intense  heat,  many  being  prostrated 
and  all  greatly  exhausted.  Consequently,  they  bivouacked  for  the  night  on 
the  second  battlefield. 

The  cavalry,  the  Oregonians  and  two  companies  of  the  Fourth  Infantry 
had  just  crossed  a  small  creek  about  5  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  3rd  and 
icntered  upon  a  sunken  road,  from  which  they  were  emerging  upon  a  small 
valley  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high  and  heavily  wooded  hills,  when  the 
rebels,  concealed  in  the  mountains  on  the  three  sides  of  the  plain,  opened  a 
hot  fire  and  sent  showers  of  bullets  into  the  ranks  of  the  Americans.  The 
latter  deployed  immediately  in  three  directions. 

Then  followed  a  charge  across  the  rice  fields  and  ditches  and  up  the  hill- 
sides, from  which  the  shots  came  all  the  time  pouring  in  a  terrific  hail,  while 


492  CAMPAIGN   AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS. 

the  air  resounded  with  the  constant  rattle  of  musketry.  The  Fourth  Cavalry, 
being  in  front,  suffered  the  severest  loss  when  the  attack  opened,  two  of  their 
killed  being  sergeants  and  the  other  a  private. 

The  natives  were  unable  to  stand  the  vigorous  firing  of  the  Americans 
long,  and  at  the  first  sign  of  their  wavering  the  cavalry,  Oregonians  and 
Fourth  Infantrymen  broke  into  wild  cheers  and  charged  still  faster  up  the 
.hillside,  pouring  in  volley  after  volley,  until  the  enemy  left  the  places  where 
they  were  partially  concealed  by  the  thicket,  fled  over  the  summit  in  the  wild- 
est confusion  and  disappeared  in  the  surrounding  valleys. 

After  the  fight  was  over  the  firing  was  continued  by  the  Americans  for 
more  than  an  hour  in  clearing  out  the  bush  and  driving  away  straggling  Fili- 
pinos. The  troops,  after  camping  for  the  night  on  the  battlefields,  started 
next  morning  for  Antipolo,  where  it  was  expected  a  strong  resistance  would 
be  made.  Antipolo  is  a  place  far  up  in  the  mountains,  which  the  Spaniards 
had  said  the  Americans  could  never  capture.  It  cost  Spain  the  lives  of  300 

troops. 

The  Town  Entirely  Abandoned. 

The  progress  of  the  column  was  considerably  delayed  while  passing  up 
the  steep  mountain  grade  by  a  small  band  of  insurgents,  but  these  were  effec- 
tually routed  by  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  which  was  in  advance,  and  the  troops 
reached  Antipolo  in  a  few  hours.  Our  lines  were  immediately  thrown  around 
on  three  sides  of  the  town,  and  then  the  final  advance  was  made.  But  it  was 
found  unnecessary  to  fire  a  shot.  Not  a  rebel  was  visible  and  the  town  was 
entirely  abandoned.  Two  hours  later,  after  a  conference  between  General 
Lawton  and  General  Hall,  the  column  proceeded  toward  Morong  to  drive 
away  any  rebels  found  in  that  quarter. 

When  the  start  was  made  for  Antipolo  in  the  morning  the  Oregon  Regi- 
ment and  the  Ninth  Infantry  were  left  behind  as  a  rear  guard,  and  there  was 
considerable  firing  along  their  lines  in  clearing  the  enemy  from  the  high  hill 
between  their  position  and  the  lake. 

Morong  was  captured  at  noon  on  June  $th  by  Colonel  Whalley  with  the 
First  Washington  Regiment  and  the  army  gunboats  Napidan  and  Cavadonga. 
This  regiment,  which  had  been  stationed  at  Pasig,  moved  north  together  with 
two  battalions  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry,  four  battalions  of  the  Ninth  Infantry, 
part  of  the  Nebraska  Volunteers  and  Scott's  guns  of  Dyer's  Battery.  This 
force,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Whalley,  joined  General  Hall  in  the 
attack  on  Cainta.  It  later  moved  its  position  near  to  Taytay  and  waited  there 
until  General  Hall  struck  Antipolo  when  it  took  Taytay  without  loss.  No 
resistance  was  made  to  our  advance  by  the  enemy,  but  the  journey  was 
exceedingly  hard,  owing  to  the  difficult  road  and  the  intense  heat. 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  Tttfi  INSURGENTS.  493 

At  daybreak  on  June  loth,  a  force  of  4,500  men,  under  Generals  Lawton, 
Wheaton  and  Ovenshine,  advanced  from  San  Pedro  Macati,  sweeping  the 
country  between  the  Bay  of  Manila  and  Bay  Lake,  south  of  Manila.  By 
noon  the  country  had  been  cleared  almost  to  Paranaque.  The  Americans  lost 
two  officers  killed  and  twenty-one  soldiers  wounded.  The  rebels  resisted  des- 
perately at  the  stronger  of  their  positions,  and  left  fifty  dead  in  the  trenches. 
Many  more  wounded  were  left  behind  by  the  rebels  in  their  retreat.  The  heat, 
during  the  day  was  overpowering,  and  there  were  many  prostrations  of  Ameri-r 
can  soldiers  from  that  cause. 

General  Lawton's  force  consisted  of  two  battalions  of  the  Twenty-first 
and  Ninth  Infantry,  six  companies  of  the  Colorado  volunteers  and  a  detach- 
ment of  artillery.  The  Nevada  Cavalry  was  under  General  Wheaton,  and  the 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Infantry,  the  Fourth  Cavalry  and  a  detachment  of 
light  artillery  were  under  General  Ovenshine. 

Drawn  Up  in  Line  for  the  Combat. 

It  was  scarcely  dawn  when  the  troops,  in  a  long,  silent  procession,  wound 
up  the  hillside  behind  the  American  trenches  and  formed  a  skirmish  line. 
Concealed  in  the  jungle  the  advance  rebel  outposts  fired  a  few  shots  before 
being  seen.  The  opposing  forces  occupied  two  ranges  of  crescent-shaped 
hills. 

The  artillery,  the  Colorado  Infantry  and  the  Nevada  Cavalry  swung  around 
the  hill-top  on  the  left  and  opened  the  battle  at  6.30.  The  rebels  made  no 
response  from  the  hills,  and  the  Colorado  men  cautiously  advanced  through 
the  thick  grass  until  they  were  confronted  by  a  trench,  from  which  a  few  weak 
volleys  were  fired.  A  spirited  response  followed,  and  a  charge  into  the  trench 
found  it  to  be  deserted. 

In  the  meantime  part  of  the  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Infantry  Regi- 
ments formed  in  skirmish  line,  extending  a  mile  to  the  right,  and,  supported 
by  the  rest  of  the  regiments,  swept  down  the  valley  and  up  the  hillside  toward 
another  trench.  Approaching  through  the  morass  seriously  hampered  the 
Fourteenth,  and  the  rebels,  taking  advantage  of  this,  poured  a  galling  fire 
upon  them  for  thirty  minutes.  The  Fourteenth  was  twice  compelled  to  with- 
draw for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  safe  crossing  in  the  swamp.  Finally  the.j 
trench  was  enfiladed  on  both  flanks.  The  rebels  fled  to  the  woods  and  sus-' 
tained  severe  loss. 

General  Lawton  then  pushed  his  entire  command  south,  through  the 
centre  of  the  Isthmus  until  a  few  miles  south  of  Paranaque,  when  he  swung 
around  and  halted  on  account  of  the  heat. 

General  Wheaton's  brigade  moved  in  a  column  down  the  west  shore  of 


494  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS. 

Laguna  de  Bay.  After  marching  some  miles  in  this  order  Wheaton's  troops 
stretched  out  in  a  long  skirmish  line,  swinging  towards  Paranaque  and  Las 
Pinas.  The  brigade  under  General  Ovenshine  advanced  between  General 
Wheaton's  brigade  and  Paranaque,  joining  Wheaton  just  before  he  entered 
Paranaque.  General  Wheaton's  advance  over  barren  country  was  slow  and 
accompanied  with  great  suffering  to  the  men.  The  land  traversed  was  high 
and  hilly,  devoid  of  vegetation,  and  the  blazing  sun  made  the  sandy  soil  terri- 
ble to  march  over.  Besides,  the  insurgents  constantly  harassed  the  soldiers 
from  the  trenches  located  on  the  crests  of  the  hills,  from  which  they  fired  on 
the  Americans  and  inflicted  considerable  loss. 

The  Colorado  Volunteers  led  the  advance  of  General  Wheaton's  brigade. 
The  march  was  a  constant  succession  of  gallant  charges  up  the  hillsides  in 
the  face  of  a  galling  fire,  only  to  find  each  time  that  the  insurgents  had 
retreated  to  the  next  hilltop  before  the  Colorado  men  reached  them.  These 
tactics  were  repeated  time  and  again. 

Sharp  Tactics  of  the  Enemy. 

In  one  instance  the  Filipinos  resorted  to  a  clever  deception.  The  Ameri- 
cans were  lured  into  the  trap,  and,  as  a  consequence,  were  subjected  to  a  severe 
cross-fire  for  a  time.  The  insurgents  had  placed  a  lot  of  damp  straw  in  what 
the  Americans  supposed  was  a  trench  along  one  of  the  hilltops.  The  straw 
was  set  on  fire  and  the  thin  line  of  smoke  fooled  the  Americans  into  thinking 
that  the  trench  was  full  of  Filipinos,  and  that  the  smoke  came  from  their 
rifles. 

The  Americans  made  a  dash  for  the  supposed  trench  and  poured  volley 
after  volley  into  the  position.  In  the  meantime  the  Filipinos,  hidden  in 
another  trench,  were  subjecting  the  Americans  to  a  galling  fire.  When  the 
Americans  discovered  the  hoax  and  started  for  the  trench  in  which  the  insur- 
gents were  hidden  the  Filipinos  retreated  in  safety. 

During  the  advance,  before  the  conjunction  of  the  two  brigades,  many 
insurgents  succeeded  in  passing  through  the  American  lines.  They  subse- 
quently attacked  the  stragglers  and  the  signal  corps  in  the  rear  of  the  general 
advance  and  caused  much  annoyance. 

The  Fourteenth  Infantry,  of  General  Ovenshine's  brigade,  met  with 
strong  opposition  from  a  band  of  Filipinos,  which  was  in  a  large  and  strongly- 
constructed  trench.  The  Americans  were  repulsed  in  their  first  and  second 
attempts  to  capture  this  trench,  but  the  third  time  they  dashed  up  to  the 
breastwork  and  gained  possession  of  it,  but  most  of  the  insurgents  succeeded 
in  making  their  escape. 

The  most  exciting  incident  of  the  day  was  the  flank  attack  made  upon 


AGAiftSf  fttfc  fWSURGfettfS.  49B 

General  Wheaton's  troops.  The  Americans  were  approaching  Manila  Bay, 
about  a  mile  south  of  Las  Pinas,  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  semicircle 
enclosing  Las  Pinas  and  Paranaque.  General  Lawton  and  General  Wheaton, 
with  their  respective  staffs,  were  in  advance.  In  the  following  column  were  a 
troop  of  Fourth  Cavalry,  the  Colorado  Volunteers  and  the  Ninth  Infantry. 

On  approaching  Zapote  River  the  advance  guard  met  a  sudden  and  fierce 
fire  from  across  the  stream.  The  Colorado  men  hurriedly  formed  a  skirmish 
line  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  While  attention  was  thus  directed  to  the 
force  across  the  river,  the  American  officers  were  amazed  to  observe  the 
insurgents  had  thrown  out  a  long  skirmish  line  600  yards  to  the  left.  As 
soon  as  the  American  line  began  its  advance  the  insurgents  opened  with  a 
fierce  fire.  The  American  line  was  between  two  fires,  because  all  this  time 
the  rebels  across  the  river  were  keeping  up  an  incessant  firing  on  our  troops. 

Overtaken  by  a  Fearful  Storm. 

Two  guns  from  the  artillery  were  hurried  out.  They  began  to  shell  the 
insurgent  lines,  and  the  Filipinos,  who  had  made  the  flank  attack,  retreated. 
They  ran  towards  the  lake,  thus  escaping  from  the  semi-circles  of  American 
troops  which  had  been  drawn  around  Las  Pinas  and  Paranaque,  and  also 
keeping  in  a  position  where  they  would  be  able  to  attack  the  Americans  from 
the  rear. 

The  river  opposed  further  advance,  and  the  troops  bivouacked  there  Satur- 
day night,  sleeping  on  their  arms  in  an  open  field.  During  the  night  a  fear- 
ful rain-storm  came  up.  The  Americans  were  shelterless.  All  night  long 
the  insurgent  bugles  could  be  heard  in  Las  Pinas.  Those  shrill  blasts  marked 
the  departure  of  the  Filipinos  from  that  village  before  the  only  avenue  of 
retreat  was  cut  off.  A  big  band  of  insurgents  in  the  rear  of  the  American 
line  began  a  derisive  yelling  about  midnight.  Frequently,  above  the  other 
din,  could  be  heard  the  shouts  of  "  Viva  los  Republica  Filipina  "  (Hurrah  for 
the  Filipino  Republic). 

Early  next  morning  the  troops  effected  a  crossing  over  the  Zapote  River 

and  marched  into  Las  Pinas.     Hundreds  of  the  inhabitants  were  found  there 

peaceably  attending  to  their  affairs  and  all  professedly  friendly  to  the  Ameri- 

^cans.     There  were  scores  of  young  men  of  soldier  age,  but  in  civilian  dress, 

•who  watched    in    silence   the  Americans  enter  the  town.     They  offered  no 

resistance,  and  being  apparently  friendly  were  not  molested.     The  Monadnock 

assisted   the  soldiers   by  shelling   Paranaque   before  the  troops  entered  the 

village. 

A  native  priest  said  that  the  Filipino  troops,  numbering  2,000,  com- 
manded by  General  Norils,  had  withdrawn  toward  Bacoor  the  day  before. 


4DS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS. 

General  Lawton's  forces  had  an  all-day  battle  with  the  insurgents  at 
Las  Pinas  on  June  I3th.  He  called  out  the  whole  force  of  3,000,  but  at  5 
o'clock  was  only  able  to  push  the  insurgents  back  500  yards  to  the  Zapote 
River,  where  they  were  intrenched.  The  insurgents  resisted  desperately  and 
aggressively.  They  attempted  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  American  troops. 
The  American  loss  was  conservatively  estimated  at  sixty. 

General  Lawton  unexpectedly  stirred  up  one  of  the  liveliest  engagements  * 
of  the  war  south  of  Las  Pinas,  when  he  made  the  attack.  The  American 
field  guns  were  engaged  in  the  first  artillery  duel  against  a  Filipino  battery 
concealed  in  the  jungle.  Companies  F  and  I  of  the  Twenty- first  Infantry 
were  nearly  surrounded  by  a  large  body  of  insurgents,  but  the  Americans  cut 
their  way  out  with  heavy  loss. 

The  United  States  Turret  ship  Monadnock,  and  the  gunboats  Helena 
and  Zafiro,  trained  their  batteries  on  Bakoor  and  the  rebel  trenches  near  Las 
Pinas  all  the  morning.  Bakoor  was  once  on  fire,  but  the  natives  stopped  the 
spread  of  the  flames.  During  the  night  an  insurgent  cannon  was  fired  three 
times  at  the  Americans  on  the  outskirts  of  the  Las  Pinas. 

General  Lawton  took  a  battalion  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  and  two 
companies  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  to  locate  the  rebel  battery,  and  then 
two  guns  of  the  Sixth  Artillery  and  four  mountain  guns  were  planted  against 
it  at  600  yards  distance.  The  rebels  had  a  large  gun,  from  which  they  were 
firing  home-made  canister  loaded  with  nails,  and  two  smaller  guns. 

Fighting  under  Difficulties. 

Their  shooting  was  most  accurate.  The  first  lot  of  canister  burst  directly 
in  front  of  Scott's  guns,  and  another  shattered  the  legs  of  a  private  in  the 
Fourteenth  Infantry.  Several  shots  struck  the  edge  of  the  town.  The  coun- 
try traversed  was  as  bad  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  being  mainly  lagoons, 
mud  and  water  fringed  with  bamboos. 

As  soon  as  the  fighting  opened  the  Americans  were  attacked  by  hidden 
riflemen  on  all  ?i^ss,  even  the  Amigos,  or  "  friendly  "  natives,  in  the  houses  of 
the  town  shooting  into  their  rear.  The  companies  of  the  Twenty-first,  skir- 
mishing along  the  beach,  with  Amigo  guides,  found  apparently  a  handful  of 
rebels,  who  retreated.  The  men  of  the  Twenty-first  followed,  and  suddenly 
the  rebels  opened  a  terrific  fire  on  the  troops  from  the  sides  and  rear.  The 
soldiers  withdrew  to  the  water's  edge,  finding  what  shelter  they  could,  and 
were  picked  off  rapidly.  After  their  ammunition  was  nearly  exhausted,  the 
companies  of  the  Twenty-first  retreated,  but  General  Lawton  dashed  down 
and  rallied  the  men. 

A  little  group  made  a  desperate  stand,  General  Lawton,  Major  Starr  and 


CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.  497 

Lieutenants  Donovan  and  Donnelly  taking  rifles  from  the  wounded  men  and 
firing  at  the  enemy,  bringing  down  some  of  the  rebel  sharpshooters  from  a 
tree.  Finally  their  cartridges  were  all  gone  and  they  were  forced  to  break 
*.b  rough  the  enemy's  flank,  carrying  the  wounded  to  the  main  body  of  the 
f.roops.  Lieutenant  Donovan,  whose  leg  was  broken,  floundered  for  a  mile 
through  a  bog,  after  leading  his  men  in  the  face  of  a  greatly  superior  force. 

General  Lawton  ceased  righting  until  reinforcements  could  be  brought 
up.  Two  battalions  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  and  one  battalion  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment  were  hurried  to  the  front,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  battle  was 
fesumed.  The  Monadnock  anchored  close  to  the  shore  and  her  heavy  guns 
pounded  the  rebels  continuously,  while  the  smaller  warships,  steaming  along 
the  shore,  poured  bullets  from  their  rapid-fire  guns  at  the  enemy. 

The  Filipino  force  engaged  appears  to  have  been  the  largest  and  best 
organized  body  of  men  which  had  met  our  troops.  The  Americans  were 
compelled  to  advance  along  narrow  roads  and  over  small  bridges  commanded 
by  earthworks  ten  feet  thick. 

At  daylight  the  rebels  at  Cavite  Viejo  dropped  two  shells  from  a  big 
smooth-bore  gun  mounted  in  front  of  the  church  into  the  navy  yard.  The 
only  damage  done  was  splintering  the  top  of  the  huge  shears  on  the  mole. 
The  gunboats  Calao,  Manila  and  Mosquito  then  proceeded  to  dismount  the 
gun.  After  breakfast  the  rebels  opened  fire  along  the  beach  to  Bakoor. 

The  Insurgents  Used  Artillery. 

After  silencing  the  big  gun  at  Cavite  Viejo  the  gunboats  ran  close  along 
the  shore,  bombarding  the  rebel  position.  The  rebels  replied  with  rifle  fire 
and  with  the  fire  of  some  small  pieces  of  artillery.  So  vigorous  was  the 
enemy's  fire  that  at  9.20  A.  M.  the  gunboat  Helena  joined  the  small  gunboats 
already  named  and  the  Princeton,  Monterey  and  Monadnock,  from  their 
anchorages,  dropped  occasional  big  shells  among  the  rebels.  This  apparently 
only  served  to  incite  the  rebels,  as  they  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  of  musketry 
and  artillery  near  the  mouth  of  the  Zapote  River,  two  miles  north  of  Bakoor. 

The  fire  of  all  seven  warships  was  concentrated  on  this  point  shortly 
after  noon,  when  the  upper  bay  presented  the  appearance  of  being  the  scene 
of  a  great  naval  battle.  The  rebels  were  eventually  forced  to  abandon  their 
guns  after  holding  out  for  about  four  hours,  only  to  be  confronted  by  General 
Lawton's  force  on  land  and  in  their  rear,  where  there  was  heavy  fighting. 

Beyond  the  destruction  of  several  buildings  along  the  water  front  the 

effect  of  the  bombardment  was  not  known.     The  only  means  of  crossing  the 

Zapote  was  by  a  small  bridge  which  the  Filipinos  commanded  with  trenches 

spreading  V-shaped,  whence  they  could  concentrate  their  fire  on  the  bridge, 

32-D 


498  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS. 

They  also  had  the  advantage  of  the  trees  and  jungle,  so  the  Americans  could 
hardly  see  ahead. 

When  the  battle  was  resumed  at  I  o'clock  with  the  reinforcements,  our 
battery  having  silenced  the  enemy's  guns,  the  Americans  wading  waist  deep 
in  the  mud  of  the  salt  flats  slowly,  and  pouring  steady  volleys  of  musketry 
at  the  rebels,  drove  their  opponents  beyond  the  river.  Then  the  two  armies 
lay  facing  each  other  across  the  deep  stream,  the  enemy  practically  out  of 
sight,  while  the  men  in  blue  and  khaki  lay  on  mud  and  bushes,  many  of 
them  without  shelter,  for  three  hours,  without  a  moment's  cessation  in  the 
firing,  pouring  bullets  at  the  enemy  as  fast  as  they  could  load. 

"  General  JLawton,  though  exhausted  by  the  morning  fight,  rallied  by 
sheer  will  power  and  was  the  commanding  figure  in  the  battle.  General 
Wheaton  and  General  Ovenshine  were  equally  courageous.  In  fact,  the 
generals  were  among  the  few  men  on  the  battlefield  who  refused  to  take 
shelter  under  the  hottest  fire.  The  only  approach  to  the  fighting  ground 
was  by  a  narrow,  winding  road,  where  the  rebel  bullets  dropped  thickly, 
wounding  several  of  our  men. 

At  4  o'clock  there  was  an  hour's  lull  in  the  fighting,  and  an  artillery 
sergeant  galloped  back  to  where  two  guns  of  the  mountain  battery  were 
waiting  in  reserve  and  shouted:  "Bring  up  those  guns!"  The  sergeant 
then  tumbled  exhausted  from  his  horse. 

Twenty  wounded  men  were  carried  to  a  cascoe  (native  boat)  waiting 
on  the  beach,  which  was  rowed  to  Paranaque.  This  battlefield  incidentally 
was  formerly  the  scene  of  several  of  the  greatest  struggles  between  the 
Spaniards  and  the  Filipinos. 

Hardest  Battle  of  the  War. 

General  Lawton's  troops  took  possession  of  Bacoor  on  the  morning  of 
the  I4th  without  resistance,  the  enemy  having  retreated  during  the  night  in 
the  direction  of  San  Francisco  and  Imus,  with  the  intention  of  making  a 
stand  at  the  latter  town,  which  was  understood  to  be  strongly  fortified  and 
was  beyond  reach  of  the  guns  of  the  navy. 

The  fight  at  the  Zapote  River  was  the  most  desperate  and  obstinate  of 
all  that  occurred  after  the  beginning  of  hostilities  in  February.  Almost 
exactly  a  year  before  the  insurgents  of  Cavite  province  fought  the  greatest 
engagement  of  the  Spanish-Filipino  war  at  this  same  place,  defeating  a  strong 
force  of  Spaniards,  which  had  been  sent  from  Manila  against  them.  Their 
successful  defense  of  the  bridge  at  that  time  doubtless  inspired  them  with 
greater  courage  than  they  otherwise  would  have  shown.  The  insurgents  of 
Cavite  province  are  the  most  warlike  of  any  in  the  Island  of  Luzon.  This  is 


CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.  490 

the  province  of  Aguinaldo,  and  the  men  who  were  met  and  defeated  by 
General  Lawton's  troops  were  those  who  did  the  severest  fighting  against  the 
Spaniards  under  the  direction  of  Aguinaldo  and  his  immediate  lieutenants. 

The  Zapote  River  is  two  miles  east  of  Bacoor.  The  Americans  captured 
the  passage  of  the  river  after  a  long  and  desperate  battle  in  which  ten  were 
killed  and  forty-eight  wounded.  The  insurgent  loss  was  forty  killed  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  wounded.  Forty-eight  armed  Filipinos  were  captured 
by  the  Americans.  The  fighting  began  early  in  the  forenoon  and  continued 
{until  evening.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  terrific  bombardment  by  the  Ameri- 
can warships  lying  near  the  shore.  The  insurgents  used  a  six-inch  cannon 
with  considerable  effect.  The  fighting  ranged  over  a  wide  district  which  was 
almost  impassable  on  account  of  the  salt  marshes,  deep  ditches  and  thick 
bamboo  jungles  with  which  it  is  overspread. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  I3th  a  battalion  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry, 
which  was  doing  outpost  duty,  were  fired  on  from  the  bamboo  thickets  in 
their  front.  Thereupon  Lieutenant  Donovan  led  on  150  men  from  companies 
F.  and  I,  of  the  Twenty-first  Infantry,  to  make  an  armed  reconnoissance  to 
locate  the  enemy.  A  native  was  found  who  volunteered  to  conduct  the 
Americans  along  a  practicable  passage  through  the  marshes.  The  Americans 
were  formed  in  a  long  column  and  advanced  along  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
lying  next  to  Manila  Bay,  and  in  this  march  they  passed  far  beyond  the  insur- 
gent trenches  at  the  Zapote  River.  They  struck  inland,  crossing  dikes  and 
broad  ditches  and  keeping  at  all  times  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  enemy. 

Poured  a  Terrific  Fire  into  Them. 

Suddenly  they  tumbled  on  the  insurgents'  flank  and  straightway  the 
enemy  poured  a  terrific  fire  into  them,  which  created  great  consternation.  The 
centre  of  the  American  column  broke  under  this  attack  and  retreated.  The 
two  ends  of  the  column,  however,  stuck  to  their  positions  and  fought  man- 
fully against  an  overwhelming  force.  The  insurgents  rushed  through  the 
broken  centre,  cutting  off  the  American  soldiers  at  the  right  end  of  the 
column  from  the  rest  of  the  force.  Thus  hemmed  in  by  enemies  <  ,n  all  sides 
except  in  the  direction  of  the  bay,  the  soldiers  retreated  to  the  bridge,  where 
they  made  a  stand  and  fought  for  their  lives. 

Eighteen  Americans  were  wounded  under  this  attack  and  two  were 
killed,  their  bodies  being  left  on  the  field.  One  of  those  killed  was  the  native 
guide.  The  condition  of  the  remnant,  caught  and  surrounded  by  the  natives, 
would  have  been  desperate  had  it  not  been  for  the  warships  in  the  bay.  The 
commanders  of  the  monitor  Monadnock  and  the  gunboat  Helena  sent  IOO 
sailors  ashore  in  boats  with  a  rapid-fire  gun,  and  these  forming  with  the 


CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS. 

soldiers  strongly  reinforced  them.  Lieutenant  Connelly,  who  had  been 
wounded,  was  c®nveyed  to  a  ship  in  the  bay. 

The  sailors,  on  landing  and  forming  for  action,  directed  an  enfilading  fire 
on  the  trench  guarding  the  passage  of  the  Zapote  River.  General  Lawton 
hurried  forward  a  battalion  of  the  Ninth  Infantry  to  the  assistance  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  in  their  fight.  The  Monadnock,  Helena,  Manila,  Albay 
and  Callao  began  shelling  the  beach,  and  these  combined  forces  of  army  and 
navy  soon  drove  the  insurgents  back  into  the  jungle. 

About  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  an  advance  of  the  left  of  General 
Lawton's  forces  were  ordered.  The  Twelfth  and  Fourteenth  Infantry,  with 
the  mountain  battery,  attacked  the  insurgents  that  were  entrenched  beyond 
the  river.  The  enemy  fought  with  courage  and  intelligence,  holding  their 
fire  until  the  Americans  had  come  within  close  range  and  then  pouring 
forth  terrific  volleys.  The  Americans  advanced,  as  usual,  by  short  rushes, 
doing  splendid  work,  and  never  faltering  in  the  face  of  the  withering  fire. 
The  insurgents  held  to  their  trenches  with  desperation  and  were  only  driven 
out  at  last  almost  at  the  muzzles  of  the  American  guns. 

The  Dead  Lie  in  the  Trenches. 

After  the  assault  twenty  dead  insurgents  were  found  in  these  trenches 
and  seven  wounded  Filipinos  were  captured.  Doubtless  there  were  many 
more  killed  and  wounded  in  these  trenches,  as  counting  was  interrupted  by 
the  insurgents  renewing  the  fight  from  a  new  position  further  on.  Once 
more  the  battery  was  hurried  forward,  and  the  Ninth  Infantry  and  part  of 
the  Twenty-first  Infantry  advanced  with  a  cheer,  meeting  a  heavy  fire  from 
the  insurgents  posted  in  the  thick  woods  to  the  left,  to  where  they  had 
retreated  when  driven  from  the  trenches.  Some  shots  came  also  from  the 
woods  on  the  right,  through  which  the  right  wing  of  the  American  forces 
had  made  its  way  an  hour  before.  This  last  engagement  was  short  but  fierce, 
the  insurgents  being  quickly  silenced  by  the  determined  attack  of  the 
Americans. 

By  this  desperate  battle  the  insurgents  lost  a  district  which  they  super- 
stitiously  believed  to  be  invulnerable  against  any  attack  of  their  enemies,  it 
having  been  the  scene  of  many  former  victories  against  the  Spaniards.  The 
American  forces  engaged  were  all  regulars  of  v the  Ninth,  Twelfth,  Four- 
teenth and  Twenty-first  Infantry,  and  all  of  them  showed  magnificent  valor. 
The  sailors  who  were  landed  undoubtedly  saved  the  detachment  on  the  beach 
from  destruction  or  capture,  and  the  hearty  co-operation  shown  by  these, 
and  by  the  men  at  the  guns  on  the  warships,  caused  the  soldiers  to  feel 
the  warmest  gratitude  and  affection  for  the  men  of  the  navy. 


CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.  501 

The  small  gunboat  Napidan,  captured  from  the  Filipinos,  arrived  at 
Manila  June  I7th,  and  her  commander,  Franklin,  reported  the  details  of  an 
engagement  with  the  rebels  on  the  lake  on  June  loth.  While  Brigadier- 
General  Wheaton  was  fighting  near  Taguig,  Franklin  saw  a  party  of  500 
insurgents  advancing  under  cover  of  the  bluffs  to  attack  Wheaton's  left  flank. 
The  Napidan  steamed  unseen  by  the  rebels  to  within  500  yards  of  the  shore, 
when  she  opened  fire  upon  the  enemy  with  every  gun  on  board,  two  and 
:hree-inch  Hotchkiss,  revolving  Colt,  rapid-fire,  Gatling  and  rifles  in  the 
,ands  of  the  crew.  It  was  a  tremendous  surprise  to  the  insurgents. 

The  first  discharge  scattered  the  rebels  and  threw  them  into  utter  confu- 
sion. The  Filipino  commander,  who  was  mounted,  belabored  his  men  with 
the  flat  of  his  sword,  striving  to  rally  them,  but  they  would  not  stand  to  be 
cut  down  by  the  murderous  fire  of  the  gunboat.  Finally  the  rebels  fled  over 
the  hill,  the  Napidan  shelling  them  until  the  last  man  disappeared.  General 
Wheaton  first  saw  the  insurgents  as  they  were  scrambling  over  the  hill  in 
their  flight.  He  was  ignorant  of  the  reason  of  the  demoralization,  his  own 
fire  drowning  that  of  the  Napidan.  The  gunboat  then  steamed  down  the  lake. 

Opened  Fire  on  a  Supply  Train. 

A  short  distance  down  Franklin  saw  a  Filipino  supply  train  and  opened 
fire  upon  it,  destroying  every  cart  and  killing  every  Baraboo.  Continuing 
down,  he  saw  new  barracks  containing  500  insurgents,  which  were  shelled 
and  burned.  After  the  barracks  were  destroyed  Franklin  with  a  detail  of 
men  went  ashore  and  found  nearly  sixty  dead  Filipinos  and  several  wounded 
rebels  who  had  been  left  where  they  fell.  Franklin  picked  up  an  officer's  sword, 
but  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  officers  from  privates  among  the  dead. 

Volcanic  disturbances  were  in  progress  in  the  south  central  islands  of 
the  archipelago.  Heavy  earthquake  shocks  were  felt  at  Iloilo,  in  the  Island 
of  Panay.  A  volcano  in  the  Island  of  Negros  was  in  a  state  of  eruption, 
and  seismic  shocks  occurred  at  various  places.  The  peculiar  construction  of 
buildings  at  Iloilo  and  other  places  affected  prevented  serious  damage  by  the 
earthquake  shocks. 

The  Third  Battalion  of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Major  Bubb,  and  one  gun  of  the  Sixth  Artillery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Koehler,  started  southward  from  Imus  June  iQth,  on  a  reconnoissance,  and 
met  the  enemy  near  Perez  das  Marinas.  While  the  American  troops  were  in 
a  sunken  road  a  force  of  insurgents  attacked  them  on  the  left  flank.  The 
Americans  retreated  in  good  order  for  several  miles,  losing  five  killed  and 
twenty  wounded. 

Finally,  being  reinforced  by  Robinson's  Battalion  of  the  Fourth  Infantry, 


502  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS. 

they  advanced  upon  the  foe.  The  fighting  still  continued  until  the  enemy 
was  driven  off,  with  considerable  loss.  Our  loss  during  the  day  amounted  to 
a  total  of  forty  killed  and  wounded. 

Reports  were  received  that  Dasmarinas  had  been  deserted  by  the  insur- 
gents. The  Alcalde  of  the  place  came  to  Imus  and  formally  surrendered  his 
town.  The  houses  along  the  roadside  were  filled  with  natives  professedly  ^ 
friendly,  and  the  battalion  advanced  confidently  until  within  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  of  Dasmarinas,  when  they  discovered  the  enemy,  paralleling  the  road 
at  a  long  distance  on  both  sides  and  practically  surrounding  the  little  force. 
Natives  began  firing  from  houses  in  the  rear,  and  natives  in  white  clothes 
were  captured  with  guns  in  hand. 

The  whole  scheme  was  to  wipe  out  the  small  body  of  American  troops, 
and  might  have  succeeded  but  for  the  marvelous  courage  of  the  troops  and 
officers.  The  fight  began  at  noon,  and  the  enemy's  fire  was  silenced  in  one 
hour.  The  Americans,  on  retiring,  discovered  that  they  were  surrounded. 

Desperate  Rushes  by  the  Enemy. 

The  skirmish  lines  were  crowding  the  Filipinos  back  toward  Imus.  Out- 
flankers  were  thrown  out  right  and  left  under  a  flanking  fire.  The  rear  guard 
was  desperately  holding  the  enemy's  rushes  in  check  in  spite  of  an  incessant 
and  galling  fire  on  the  main  road.  Men  were  falling  everywhere,  the  ambu- 
lances being  filled  and  carts  were  impressed  and  loaded  with  the  wounded, 
and  dragged  by  hand  by  the  prisoners.  Two  of  our  dead  were  left  behind. 
At  3  o'clock  it  looked  as  if  nothing  could  save  the  battalion.  At  4  it  had 
pressed  the  enemy  off  to  the  right,  and  was  at  last  behind  them,  and  fifteen 
minutes  later  Captain  Hazzard,  an  aide  to  General  Wheaton,  pushed  through 
alone  with  the  news  that  Wheaton  was  coming  to  their  relief.  The  men 
cheered  wildly  as  they  sprang  at  the  Filipinos. 

General  Wheaton  found  the  enemy  a  thousand  strong  moving  to  inter- 
cept the  road  where  it  runs  at  right  angles.  He  opened  on  them  with  shrap- 
nel, and  mowed  down  the  insurgents.  The  way  cleared,  our  left  advanced 
rapidly,  and  at  4.30  had  the  enemy  in  full  rout  and  gained  a  mile  and  a  half 
of  lost  ground.  The  regiment  bivouacked  at  last  in  the  rice  fields,  and  food 
and  ammunition  were  rushed  forward.  It  was  the  most  determined  and  best- 
planned  resistance  yet  made  by  the  Filipinos. 

General  Wheaton  makes  the  following  statement:  "  I  am   glad  to  say. 
that  in  to-day's  reconnoissance   the  Fourth  Infantry,  who  held  back   2,000 » 
insurgents  for  three  hours,  acted  with  the  gallantry,  courage  and  coolness  of 
veterans.      Major  Bubb,  commanding,  and  every  officer  on  the  field  should 
receive  congratulations  on  their  heroism  and  the  manner  they  handled  this 


CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.  50? 

handful  of  men  against  such  an  overwhelming  force.  The  movement  averted 
a  contemplated  attack  on  Imus  by  the  entire  Filipino  army  south." 

The  more  thoroughly  all  the  facts  regarding  the  battle  near  Perez  des 
Marinas  are  investigated,  the  more  clear  is  it  that  General  Wheaton  saved 
the  First  Battalion  of  the  Fourth  Infantry  from  a  great  disaster  by  his 
timely  arrival  on  the  scene  with  reinforcements.  Two  miles  from  a  village  on 
the  Imus  road  the  battalion  fought  two  thousand  insurgents  until  its  ammu- 
nition was  almost  exhausted.  It  had  its  ambulance  full  of  wounded,  and  was 
compelled  to  abandon  two  of  its  dead  which,  when  recovered  later  in  the 
afternoon,  were  found  to  have  been  horribly  mutilated. 

As  Major  Bubb  marched  toward  Perez  des  Marinas  in  the  morning  the 
houses  along  the  six  miles  of  road  which  were  traversed  without  a  hostile 
demonstration  were  covered  with  white  flags,  and  tokens  of  friendship  were 
displayed  by  the  people. 

When  the  troops  arrived  at  the  sunken  road  Major  Shiels,  the  regimental 
surgeon,  discovered  that  a  large  body  of  armed  insurgents  was  marching  in 
a  parallel  column  three  hundred  yards  to  the  right  of  the  Americans,  and  had 
evidently  been  following  the  column  for  some  distance,  keeping  their  relative 
position  to  the  American  advance  by  the  aid  of  barking  dogs  and  other  noises 
accompanying  the  passage  of  so  large  a  body  of  men.  They  also  had  four 
flankers  on  either  side  of  the  advance  guard  of  the  Americans. 

Insurgents  Renew  the  Attack. 

When  these  ominous  facts  were  reported  to  Major  Bubb,  commanding 
the  Fourth  Infantry,  who  accompanied  the  battalion,  his  command  was 
deployed  to  the  right  under  cover  of  an  irrigation  dike,  which  paralleled  the 
sunken  road.  These  arrangements  were  scarcely  completed  when  the  firing 
began  heavily  on  both  sides,  and  after  a  number  of  steady  volleys  from  the 
First  Battalion  the  enemy's  fire  was  silenced,  whereupon  Major  Bubb  gave 
the  order  to  withdraw  in  the  direction  of  Imus. 

For  ten  minutes  after  the  movement  began  there  was  no  firing,  but  as 
soon  as  the  insurgents  realized  that  the  Americans  were  withdrawing  they 
formed  again  down  the  road  which  the  Fourth  Infantry  had  to  pass  and  on 
the  left  flank,  and  renewed  the  attack.  The  withdrawal  began  at  i  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

The  movement  was  very  slow,  and  every  step  had  to  be  contested  with 
the  enemy.  The  2,000  insurgents  were  making  a  supreme  effort  to  destroy) 
the  Americans,  and  were  sending  in  a  galling  fire  from  all  directions.  Lieu- 
tenant Kohler's  one  field  gun  was  used  with  telling  effect  on  the  enemy,  and 
assisted  materially  in  opening  a  path  for  the  harassed  battalion.  One  com- 


504  CAMPAIGN   AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS. 

pany  was  cut  off  at  one  time  from  the  rest  of  the  force,  and  was  compelled  to 
charge  twice  over  an  open  fire-swept  field  to  regain  its  place  on  the  left  of  the 
advancing  column.  The  sunken  road  afforded  no  protection. 

The  ambulance  containing  the  dead  and  wounded  was  under  fire  continu- 
ally, and  as  the  supply  of  ammunition  became  nearly  exhausted  the  condition 
of  the  Americans  was  desperate.  Lieutenant  Wolf,  with  his  men,  was  sent 
to  the  left  flank,  and  there  fought  with  great  heroism.  Four  hours  of  this  kind 
of  fighting  had  taken  the  battalion  only  three  miles  in  its  retreat.  Then  it  made 
a  stand  to  collect  and  care  for  the  wounded. 

Frightful  Storm  of  Bullets. 

At  that  time  Lieutenant  Hazlett,  an  aide  to  General  Wheaton,  and  Lieu- 
;enant  Cunningham,  of  the  signal  corps,  galloped  up  the  Imus  road  bringing 
word  that  reinforcements  were  on  the  way.  Hearty  American  cheers  greeted 
this  v/elcome  news.  The  Filipinos  answered  with  a  heavier  fire,  their  bullets 
sweeping  the  road  with  fearful  effect.  At  last  the  guns  of  General  Wheaton's 
men,  consisting  of  the  Second  Battalion  of  the  Fourth  Infantry,  were  heard 
on  the  left.  This  soon  turned  the  tide  of  battle. 

The  fresh  troops,  with  their  ammunition  belts  well  filled,  dashed  to  the 
relief  of  the  First  Battalion.  Deploying  on  the  left  and  charging  front  with 
precision,  they  drove  the  insurgents  for  a  distance  and  recovered  the  dead 
bodies  of  the  Americans  which  had  been  left  behind. 

Throughout  the  action  the  conduct  of  the  men  was  magnificent,  though 
at  times  it  seemed  as  if  they  could  expect  nothing  except  destruction.  The 
officers  remained  cool,  riding  along  the  road  and  giving  their  orders  with  a 
calmness  which  added  much  to  the  confidence  of  the  men.  The  enemy  at 
the  end  of  the  engagement  was  driven  in  confusion  off  the  field,  and  was  fol- 
lowed within  two  miles  of  Pedez  des  Marinas,  when  darkness  put  an  end  to 
the  engagement. 

The  American  loss  was  four  killed  and  twenty  wounded.  Ninety-three 
dead  Filipinos  were  recovered  from  a  part  of  the  battlefield,  and  many  more 
doubtless  were  slain  during  the  battle. 

At  this  juncture  of  affairs  Aguinaldo  took  charge  of  the  army  formerly 
under  command  of  General  Luna,  who,  as  reported,  was  assassinated  by  com- 
mand of  the  insurgent  leader.  He  massed  the  largest  force  yet  brought 
together,  about  8,000  men,  bringing  2,000  from  the  Antipolo  region.  The 
;enemy  became  very  troublesome  and  constantly  annoyed  our  troops,  who  had 
to  be  on  the  alert  to  repel  the  attacks,  and  were  compelled  to  sleep  on 
their  arms.  Aguinaldo  seemed  fully  resolved  to  continue  his  warfare,  and  it 
was  surprising  how  rapidly  he  brought  forward  his  forces. 


VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.     605 

On  July  2Oth,  severe  fighting  took  place  at  Bobong.  Captain  Byrne,  of 
the  Sixth  Infantry,  with  seventy  men,  surprised  a  force  of  450  Babaylones,  of 
whom  115,  by  actual  count,  were  killed  and  many  more  were  wounded.  Only 
one  of  the  enemy  was  captured.  The  American  loss  was  one  man  killed  and 
one  wounded.  Fighting  was  mostly  at  close  quarters  with  bayonets  and 
clubbed  guns.  A  large  quantity  of  supplies  and  arms  were  captured. 

Captain  Byrne  was  commanding  a  battalion  operating  in  the  Carlota  dis- 
trict of  the  island  of  Negros. 

Unprecedented  rains  at  this  time  prevented  military  operations  on  a 
large  scale  or  advances  covering  long  distances.  Many  miles  of  the  country 
were  flooded  to  a  depth  of  three  or  four  feet.  The  Paranaque  Bridge,  which 
was  considered  impregnable,  was  swept  away,  cutting  off  temporarily  the  gar- 
risons of  Imus  and  Bacor  from  communication  with  Manila. 

In  these  circumstances  it  was  impossible  to  move  wagon  trains,  as  the 
trails  were  doubtful.  Pack  mules  were  utilized  whenever  it  became  possible 
for  soldiers  to  make  marches.  Officials  had  their  hands  full  in  arranging  for 
the  departure  of  volunteers  and  in  settling  the  regulars  who  replaced  them. 

Capture  of  an  Important  Town. 

On  July  26th,  an  expedition  comprising  troops  from  San  Pedro  Macati, 
Pasig  and  Morong,  under  Brigadier  General  R.  H.  Hall,  captured  Calamba, 
an  important  trading  town  on  the  south  shore  of  Laguna  de  Bay.  There 
were  two  hours  of  sharp  righting,  during  which  four  soldiers  were  killed  and 
twelve  wounded.  The  troops  boarded  cascoes  the  preceding  night.  The 
force  comprised  400  of  the  Washington  Volunteers,  450  of  the  Twenty-first 
Infantry,  150  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry  and  two  guns  of  the  First  Artillery. 
These  and  the  gunboats  Napidan  and  Oeste  assembled  opposite  Calamba. 

A  force  under  Captain  McGrath,  of  the  Twenty- first  Infantry,  and  Cap- 
tain Eltonherd  landed  east  of  the  town,  but  found  a  river  intervening.  Cap- 
tain McGrath  and  Lieutenant  Batson  swam  the  river  under  a  fire  from  twenty 
Mauser  rifles.  Having  crossed  the  stream  the  officers  procured  a  casco  to 
ferry  the  troops  over.  The  insurgents  retreated  through  the  town,  shooting 
from  houses  and  bushes  as  they  fled  to  the  hills.  Three  members  of  the 
Washington  regiment  waded  from  cascoes  through  swamps,  often  shouldei 
deep,  while  a  group  of  Filipinos  concealed  in  haystacks  were  shooting  at 
them,  until  the  Napidan  focussed  her  six-pounders  and  Gatling  guns  on  the 
stacks  for  a  few  minutes. 

A  number  of  friendly  natives  emerged  from  the  bushes  with  white  flags. 
After  the  fight  a  dozen  men  holding  up  their  hands  and  shouting  "  Catsillanos! " 
met  the  American  cavalry.  Even  Spanish  soldiers  embraced  Americans  hys- 


506     VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS. 

terically.  There  were  fifty  Spanish  prisoners  at  Calamba,  of  whom  some  were 
civil  officials  and  some  were  soldiers.  They  had  been  given  the  choice  of 
joining  the  Filipino  army  or  becoming  servants  to  Filipinos,  and  chose  the 
army,  intending  to  surrender  at  the  first  opportunity. 

Major-General  Henry  W.  Lawton,  Professor  Dean  C.  Worcester,  of  the 
American  Philippines  Commission  ;  Mrs.  Lawton  and  General  Lawton's  son  ac- 
companied the  expedition  on  board  a  launch  and  sat  coolly  in  an  unprotected 
boat  close  to  the  shore  during  the  fighting,  the  bullets  splashing  about  them. 

Lieutenant  Larsen,  commanding  the  Napidan,  found  a  long  missing 
Spanish  gunboat,  which  had  been  covered  with  bushes  and  fish  nets  so  as  not 
to  resemble  a  vessel.  The  Filipinos,  having  met  reinforcements,  and  thinking 
that  the  Americans  had  evacuated  the  town,  descended  from  the  hills,  intend- 
ing to  reoccupy  Calamba.  General  Hall  easily  drove  them  back.  The  Gen- 
er  il  left  a  garrison  at  Calamba. 

Spirited  Fight  at  Calamba. 

it  was  reported  in  Filipino  circles  in  Manila  that  the  insurgents  had 
received  consignments  of  saltpetre  and  lead  from  Japan.  They  had  been 
experiencing  many  difficulties  in  the  manufacture  of  good  powder,  that  which 
they  produced  lacking  power  of  penetration  and  range. 

Calamba  is  a  town  on  Laguna  de  Bay,  about  thirty  miles  southeast  of 
Manila.  It  is  much  further  south  than  the  United  States  troops  had  before 
penetrated  on  land.  It  is  in  the  province  of  Laguna.  It  has  a  population  of 
1^,476,  and  is  twenty-seven  miles  from  Santa  Cruz,  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  bay. 

Later  details  of  the  fight  at  Calamba  showed  that  it  was  a  warm  one. 
The  insurgents  were  unwilling  to  abandon  the  place,  which  is  the  key  to  the 
lake  road.  General  Hall,  hearing  that  General  Malbar  was  preparing  to  make 
an  attack,  sent  Major  Weisenberger  with  three  companies  of  the  Twenty-first 
Infantry,  three  troops  of  cavalry  and  one  of  Hamilton's  guns  to  attack  the 
insurgents.  This  detachment  found  a  force  of  1,000  rebels  behind  hastily 
made  intrenchments.  The  rebels  held  their  fire  until  the  contingent  of  the 
Twenty-first  Regiment  was  within  300  yards,  when  they  fired  a  volley.  The 
Americans  dropped  in  the  high  grass  out  of  sight  and  returned  the  fire. 

Lieutenant  Love,  who  was  walking  erect  along  the  front  of  the  men,  was 
shot  in  the  arm.  An  insurgent  officer,  equally  brave,  stood  at  the  top  of  the 
trenches,  directing  the  fire  of  the  insurgents  until  he  was  killed,  when  the 
Filipinos  fled. 

During  the  fighting  on  the  north  side  of  the  town  a  small  body  of  insur- 
gents attempted  to  enter  on  the  south  side,  but  a  troop  of  cavalry  repulsed 


VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THF    INSURGENTS.    507 

them.  The  total  American  loss  at  Calamba  wa.<  seven  killed  and  twenty 
wounded.  Sixteen  dead  insurgents  were  found. 

The  army  transport  Senator  arrived  at  San  Francisco  on  the  evening  of 
August  ist,  with  746  soldiers,  comprising  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
and  the  dead  body  of  their  commanding  officer,  Colonel  Alexander  L.  Hawkins, 
on  board.  Not  a  man  of  the  Tenth  was  on  the  sick  list. 

The  Senator  was  sighted  off  the  Golden  Gate  at  7.30  in  the  evening,  and 
was  immediately  boarded  by  the  medical  officers  of  the  port  and  the  Federal 
quarantine  surgeon,  Captain  Raymond.  A  clean  bill  of  health  was  quickly 
given  by  both  local  and  national  authorities  upon  the  representation  of  Cap- 
tain Patterson,  commanding  the  transport,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Barnett, 
that  all  were  well  on  board,  and  the  Senator  steamed  rapidly  into  the  harbor 
and  dropped  anchor  in  the  bay,  off  the  main  docks  of  the  city. 

Noisy  Demonstrations  in  the  Harbor. 

As  the  Senator  was  steaming  in,  the  transport  Indiana,  with  over  500 
men,  assigned  to  different  regiments  ir?  the  Philippines,  was  plowing  her  way 
out,  and  the  tugboats  and  small  craft  that  crowded  forth  to  meet  the  home- 
coming heroes  joined  their  welcoming  greetings  with  noisy  speedings  of  the 
departing  soldiers. 

The  noble  soldiers  of  the  Tenth,  triumphant  as  they  are,  came  home  in 
mourning.  Their  loved  commander,  Colonel  Hawkins,  who,  full  of  life  and 
energy,  passed  through  San  Francisco  in  June,  1898,  on  his  way  to  the  Far 
East,  where  he  gave  his  life  to  his  country,  returned  only  to  be  laid  in  his 
grave.  He  died  of  cancer  on  board  ship  when  two  days  out  from  Manila. 

Colonel  Alexander  L.  Hawkins  was  fifty-eight  years  old  and  was  the 
senior  colonel  of  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard  before  his  command  was 
mustered  into  the  volunteer  service.  He  was  affectionately  known  as  "  Pop  " 
Hawkins,  and  had  two  sons  in  the  service. 

Colonel  Hawkins  had  a  good  Civil  War  record.  He  enlisted  as  a  private, 
was  promoted  for  bravery,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  captain  of  a  colored 
company  of  fighters.  There  is  an  old  story  in  Washington  county  that 
Captain  Hawkins  was  the  only  man  that  marched  a  body  of  American  soldiers 
into  Canada.  During  the  Civil  War,  while  with  a  party  at  Niagara  Falls,  he 
wanted  to  cross  to  the  Canadaian  side.  The  party  was  stopped  by  British 
soldiers,  who  were  on  guard.  Captain  Hawkins  ordered  his  men  to  go  for- 
ward, there  was  a  clash,  but  the  Americans  crossed  to  Canada  and  came  back. 

Colonel  Hawkins,  before  his  command  was  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
service,  was  the  senior  colonel  of  the  State  guard.  He  was  elected  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Tenth  in  1879  and  made  it  one  of  the  best  regiments  in  the  country. 


US   CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS. 

it  Lewis  Provence  McCormick,  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Tenth 
lative  of  Connellsville,  had  perhaps  the  most  varied  experience 
of  the  famous  Tenth.     He  acted  as  its  Assistant   Surgeon,  was 
me  Brigade  Ambulance  Corps,  then  appointed  surgeon  to  the 
Laguna  ut  Jay,  the  first  of  the   Philippine  tin-clads,  and  when  this   fleet  of 
^mall  warships  was  increased  to  six,  became  the  fleet  surgeon.      Dr.  McCor- 
mick  encountered   some  interesting  episodes,  and   has   given  an   interesting 
account  of  his  experience  in  Luzon  : 

"  When  the  Tenth  reached  Manila  we  were  located  at  Camp  Dewey,  four 
miles  from  the  city,  during  the  period  of  the  siege.  There  were  ro  tents  to 
keep  the  water  out,  and  the  beds  of  the  men  were  soaked  nightly,  but  there 
was  very  little  sickness.  There  were  seven  companies  on  the  firing  line  on 
the  night  of  the  3 1st  of  July  at  the  battle  of  Malate.  Five  companies  were 
in  the  comparatively  new  trenches  of  the  Filipinos,  which  really  afforded  very 
little  protection.  Our  hospital  had  been  located  in  an  English  residence,  100 
yards  from  the  line. 

"  About  10.30  I  heard  the  rattle  of  musketry  above  the  terrible  storm. 
I  started  out  to  find  our  men,  but  the  darkness  was  so  intense  that  I  turned 
back  to  the  hospital.  The  first  man  brought  in  was  a  Californian,  to  whom 
I  had  spoken  but  a  few  moments  before.  He  was  dead. 

Treating  the  Wounded  in  Darkness. 

"  It  was  not  long  before  they  began  to  bring  back  our  own  men.  The 
hospital  itself  was  nothing  but  a  bamboo  house,  which  afforded  no  protection 
from  bullets,  and  little  from  the  storm.  The  wind  blew  so  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  keep  any  candles  burning.  When  a  man  was  brought  in  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  tell  whether  he  was  wounded  or  dead,  and  we  had  to  feel  all 
over  him  in  the  darkness  to  find  out  just  how  he  was  hurt. 

"  There  were  no  ambulances.  Many  of  them  had  their  wounds  dressed  in 
semi-darkness.  We  improvised  litters  by  taking  out  the  shell  windows  of  the 
hospital,  and  on  these  the  wounded  were  taken  back  to  Camp  Dewey.  That 
you  may  understand  what  I  mean  by  shell  windows,  I  will  explain  that  very 
few  of  the  houses  have  glass,  a  transparent  shell  being  used  instead. 

"  The  firing  of  the  Spaniards  that  night  was  terrific,  and  it  was  a  hot 
introduction  to  real  war  for  the  tenderfeet,  such  as  most  of  us  were.  It  was 
the  unprotected  Companies  D  and  E  that  suffered  the  most  in  this  night. 
Company  D  had  14  out  of  47  men  hit,  or  25  per  cent.  Only  one  was  killed, 
This  was  the  greatest  per  centage  of  wounded  suffered  by  any  company  in 
the  regiment.  Company  E  had  the  greatest  per  centage  of  men  killed.  It 
lost  five  that  night. 


VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.    509 

**  «j)n  the  6th  of  August  following  I  was  detached  and  put  in  the  Ambu- 
lance Corps  ;  there  were  four  officers  and  100  men.  We  anticipated  a  battle, 
and  I  was  ordered  to  intercept  all  carromettas  (little  pony  carts)  and  impress 
them  as  ambulances,  of  which  we  were  sadly  in  need.  We  went  out  on  the 
road  in  the  morning  and  gathered  in  thirty  of  them.  My  headquarters  were 
at  Pasay,  when  the  bombardment  of  Manila  began  at  9.30  in  the  morning. 

"  The  Thirteenth  Minnesota  and  the  Astor  Battery  advanced  as  soon  as 
they  heard  Dewey's  guns,  and  the  Twenty-third  regulars  were  ordered  for- 
ward as  reinforcements.  I  followed  with  our  improvised  ambulances,  but  the 
roads  were  knee-deep  in  mud  and  the  ponies  could  not  go  out  of  a  walk. 
We,  however,  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  front  in  time  to  take  care  of  the 
wounded. 

"  I  established  headquarters  in  the  church  of  Santa  Anna  with  twenty- 
five  wounded.  After  their  injuries  were  dressed  they  were  placed  in  the  car- 
romettas with  a  soldier  with  a  fixed  bayonet  beside  each  driver.  This  was 
done  to  prevent  the  Filipino  drivers  running  away,  which  several  of  them 
succeeded  in  doing.  In  this  manner  we  started  for  the  city,  and  on  our  way 
passed  our  men  drawn  up  across  the  road  with  fixed  bayonets,  to  keep  the 
Filipinos  from  entering  the  city  with  their  arms. 

Threatening  Signs  of  Insurrection. 

"  In  that  instant  I  saw  the  menace  of  a  future  insurrection  on  the  part  of 
Aguinaldo's  troops.  As  I  passed  through  the  lines,  a  captain  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Minnesota  said :  '  For  God's  sake,  tell  the  General  to  send  reinforce- 
ments here  at  once ;  if  he  does  not  we  cannot  keep  these  niggers  back.' 

"  The  next  day  we  were  ordered  back  to  Camp  Dewey.  Instead  of  going 
by  the  road  we  went  around  the  bay,  and  as  it  was  high  tide  we  were  com- 
pelled sometimes  to  wade  waist-deep  in  water.  When  we  got  back  to  camp 
we  found  no  guard  there  except  a  few  convalescents.  On  our  way  to  Camp 
Dewey  we  passed  Fort  San  Antonio  Abed,  or  Fort  Malate,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called.  It  was  a  mass  of  ruins,  which  we  were  glad  to  see,  because  it  had 
greatly  annoyed  us.  We  found  six  dead  Spaniards  inside  and  buried  them. 

"  Rumors  of  an  insurrection  continued  to  occur  from  this  on,  and  one 
officer  and  myself,  with  a  few  convalescents,  did  guard  duty  one  night  at  the 
camp,  fearing  an  attack.  Subsequently  we  found  that  there  had  been  nc> 
necessity  for  our  precautions.  A  few  days  later  my  ambulance  division  was 
ordered  back  to  the  city.  We  were  conducted  to  quarters  in  the  Spanish 
Military  Hospital,  which  is  now  the  First  Reserve  Hospital.  Here  I  was 
detailed  as  attending  physician  at  this  First  Reserve  Hospital,  with  four  wards 
under  my  charge.  Subsequently  the  small-pox  broke  out,  and  I  was  assigned 


510    VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS. 

to  the  charge  of  the  contagious  ward  for  a  month,  and  was  then  relieved  by 
another  surgeon. 

"  My  duties  kept  me  at  the  Reserve  Hospital  until  about  January  3ist, 
when  the  prevalent  malaria  attacked  me  and  I  went  to  Corregidore  Island. 
We  all  knew  the  insurrection  was  coming,  and  I  secured  leave  as  soon  as 
possible  to  get  back  to  the  city.  The  second  day  after  my  return,  on  the 
night  of  the  4th  of  February,  at  half-past  nine  o'clock,  the  insurrection  broke 
out.  At  two  o'clock  the  following  morning  I  received  orders  to  join  the  gun- 
boat Laguna  de  Bay.  My  commanding  officer  was  thoughtful  enough  to 
consider  that  if  I  remained  with  the  ambulance  corps  I  would  be  compelled 
to  ride  a  horse,  which  would  have  been  uncomfortable  in  my  condition,  and 
assigned  me  to  the  gunboat. 

Under  the  Guns  of  the  Enemy. 

"  This  Laguna  de  Bay  which  subsequently  became  the  flagship  of  the  tin- 
clad  fleet  had  been  an  excursion  boat  up  the  Pasig  from  Manila.  She  was 
100  feet  long  by  40  feet  wide,  a  side-wheeler,  which  our  folks  bought  and 
armed.  She  was  encased  in  an  armor  of  three-eighths  of  an  inch  boiler  plate  all 
around  and  carried  two  3-inch  guns,  two  1-65-100  Hotchkiss  and  four  Gat- 
ling  guns  in  a  fighting  top  on  the  upper  deck.  She  was  manned  by  volun- 
teers from  the  Third  Artillery,  the  Utah  Battery  and  the  First  South  Dakota 
principally,  but  somebody  from  every  regiment  was  among  her  crew.  Walter 
Dempsey  represented  the  Tenth  Regiment,  Company  E.  He  was  an  American 
who  enlisted  at  Honolulu,  giving  his  residence  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

"  The  boat  had  left  before  the  hour  fixed,  my  orders  being  to  join  her  at 
daylight.  She  was  up  the  river  beyond  the  firing  line,  and  I  had  to  walk  up 
and  wait  for  her  until  she  dropped  back.  The  First  Californians  were  en- 
gaged at  this  time.  The  Filipinos  had  two  modern  Krupp  3-inch  guns  lying 
on  the  bank  waiting  for  the  Laguna  de  Bay.  They  also  had  a  cable  strung 
across  the  river  in  such  a  position  that  it  would  hold  the  gunboat  and  bring 
her  right  under  the  guns.  We  had  been  ordered  not  to  go  beyond  a  certain 
point  because  we  knew  of  the  guns,  and  so  we  lay  to  around  a  bend  and 
shelled  Santa  Ana.  That  was  on  the  5th  of  February,  the  day  of  the  big- 
killing  of  the  Filipinos. 

"  I  cannot  describe  the  scenes  of  that  day.  I  saw  hundreds  of  natives 
mowed  down  like  grass.  There  were  open  fields  on  either  side  of  the  river, 
and  in  attempting  to  escape,  the  Gatling  guns  from  our  main  top  caught  them. 
It  became  a  slaughter,  and  for  humanity's  sake  our  gunners  ceased  firing. 
For  five  weeks  after  this  we  lay  at  San  Pedro,  but  we  had  some  fighting  every- 
where. The  natives  would  screen  themselves  on  the  bank  and  shoot  at  the 


VIGOROUS  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  INSURGENTS.    511 

boat  whenever  they  had  nothing  else  to  do.  This  constant  irritation  angered 
General  King,  and  though  we  were  not  under  his  control,  at  his  request  we 
went  up  the  river  to  Gudalupe  Church  and  cleaned  out  the  Filipinos  on  both 
sides. 

"  We  would  sail  past  their  line  and  fire  upon  them  from  the  flank,  but  as 
soon  as  we  dropped  back  they  would  immediately  reoccupy  their  trenches^ 
We  did  this  seven  times,  and  in  that  period  had  one  man  killed  and  six 
wounded  on  the  boat.  In  March  we  made  a  general  advance  and  our  boat 
did  great  execution.  The  insurgents  put  obstructions  in  the  Pasig  River, 
but  we  passed  them  and  accomplished  .our  purpose.  By  this  time  we  had  a 
fleet  of  three  boats,  having  captured  some  Spanish  craft  at  Santa  Cruz,  and 
fitted  them  up  as  river  gunboats.  I  confess  I  had  my  hands  full  at  times,  for 
I  was  the  only  surgeon  on  this  little  fleet. 

The  Boat  Oaught  in  Ambush. 

"  The  most  interesting  time  that  I  recollect  was  on  the  Bulucan  Riven 
The  Laguna  de  Bay  and  the  Napindan,  another  tinclad,  went  up  the  river, 
where  the  whole  insurgent  army  was  lying  at  Calocan  and  Bulucan.  We 
steamed  up  simply  to  make  a  diversion  and  to  let  the  natives  see  we  could 
get  past  their  lines.  They  were  lying  in  wait  for  us  on  both  banks  and  never 
betrayed  their  presence  until  we  were  right  in  their  midst.  They  concealed 
themselves  behind  the  dykes  of  the  river.  In  an  instant  it  seemed  as  if  we  were 
in  the  centre  of  a  hail  of  bullets.  They  kept  up  this  for  quite  a  while,  but  we 
stayed  with  them  until  we  were  forced  to  withdraw  on  account  of  the  tide 
going  out,  although  we  could  not  do  very  much  damage,  so  secure  were  they 
in  their  intrenchments. 

<(  In  this  engagement  we  had  four  men  wounded.  The  Laguna  de  Bay 
dropped  off  into  the  bay,  and  I  went  in  a  row-boat  to  the  Napindan,  where 
several  men  had  been  wounded.  While  on  the  latter  boat  she  went  aground, 
with  the  insurgents  keeping  up  a  constant  fire  on  her.  The  gunboat  Helena 
was  lying  out  in  the  bay,  and,  hearing  the  firing,  sent  her  steam  launch  to  see 
if  it  could  be  of  any  assistance.  The  launch  came  as  near  the  Napindan  as 
possible,  and  after  I  had  finished  my  duties  I  jumped  into  a  skiff  and  rowed  to 
the  launch.  It  was  a  pretty  lively  time,  for  the  instant  the  insurgents  got  a 
sight  of  us  in  the  skiff  we  became  their  target. 

"  Finally  we  reached  the  launch  and  started  down  the  river,  keeping  a 
constant  fire  from  a  Colt's  rapid-fire  gun  which  the  little  craft  had  mounted  in 
her  bow.  We  were  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  bank  when  the 
launch,  which  was  nothing  more  than  an  open  boat  with  a  gasoline  engine  in 
fhe  centre,  ran  hard  and  fast  aground.  For  four  hours  we  had  to  lay  there 


512    VIGOROUS    CAMPAIGN   AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS. 

under  the  fire  of  the  natives,  who  were  concealed  at  some  distance  back  from 
the  bank.  We  kept  up  a  fire  with  the  Colt  machine  gun  and  finally  got  away 
unscathed. 

"  Those  Malay  insurgents  have  no  enterprise.  If  they  had  they  could 
have  captured  all  of  us  without  difficulty,  for  the  water  at  no  place  was  more 
than  three  feet  deep,  and  we  were  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the  bank. 
I  regard  this  as  the  most  interesting  day  in  all  my  experience. 

"  Another  memorable  day  was  when  our  fleet  of  tinclads  captured  Guagua 
and  Saxmoan  ;  the  former  is  a  city  of  15,000  inhabitants,  and  the  latter  has 
5000.  We  shelled  Saxmoan,  which  was  guarded  by  about  two  hundred 
natives.  We  had  over  eighty  men  on  our  fleet,  and  the  natives  ran  like  fright- 
ened cattle,  burning  their  town  behind  them.  The  Mayor  of  Guagua,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Philippine  Congress,  came  down  to  the  bank  and  sur- 
rendered the  town.  A  large  number  of  our  men  went  up  into  the  city  and 
wandered  around  unmolested.  After  they  returned  we  were  compelled  to 
withdraw  from  the  failure  of  reinforcements  from  General  MacArthur  to  reach 
Us.  The  withdrawal  caused  us  to  lose  all  that  we  had  gained." 

General  MacArthur  Again  in  the  Field. 

Military  operations  in  the  Philippines  were  nearly  suspended  during  the 
rainy  season,  but  on  August  9,  1899,  General  MacArthur,  with  a  force  of  4,000 
men  pushed  northward  five  miles  from  San  Fernando,  meeting  and  defeating 
6,000  insurgents,  who  left  many  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field  in  their 
retreat.  The  American  loss  in  several  sharp  encounters  was  known  to  have 
been  at  least  eight  killed  and  twenty-six  wounded.  The  objective  point  was 
Angeles,  one  of  the  richest  towns  north  of  Manila. 

The  American's  position  had  long  been  unpleasant.  The  rebels  almost 
surrounded  San  Fernando,  and  fired  into  it  almost  every  night,  the  Americans 
not  replying,  except  on  extreme  provocation.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  500 
or  600  men  constantly  on  outpost  duty. 

The  movement  on  Angeles  had  been  planned  for  some  time,  but  was 
delayed  by  rains.  Finally  two  days  of  sunshine  dried  the  ground  sufficiently 
to  warrant  the  attempt. 

Armored  cars,  each  with  a  6-pounder  and  two  Gatling  revolving  canno»' 
on  board,  moved  out  on  the  railroad  track  in  the  centre  of  our  lines.  Their 
guns  did  sharp  execution  throughout  the  day.  The  Filipinos  were  evidently 
surprised  at  the  movement,  having  expected  the  American  forces  to  move 
against  Tico.  They  were  well  protected  by  trenches  and  followed  their  usual 
tactics  of  holding  their  positions  until  the  American  fire  became  too  warm  and 
then  retreating  in  disorder 


VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.     5U 

On  August  28th  there  was  a  great  demonstration  at  Pittsburg  in  honor 
of  returning  soldiers.  Through  cheering  multitudes  of  people,  who  packed 
eight  miles  of  sidewalks,  occupied  every  window  and  observation  point  along 
the  route,  and  alternated  their  cheers  with  tears,  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  the  only  volunteer  regiment  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  see  Philip- 
pine service,  triumphantly  marched  through  Pittsburg. 

The  occasion  was  made  memorable  by  the  presence  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  Major  General  Wesley  Merritt,  General  Francis  V.  Greene, 
United  States  Senator  Boies  Penrose,  the  Governor  of  the  State,  and  other 
prominent  persons  who  gathered  to  receive  the  farmer  boys  who  made  an 
honorable  record  in  the  Spanish  and  Philippine  wars.  The  President  delivered 
a  speech,  in  which  he  welcomed  home  the  members  of  the  regiment,  and 
made  an  emphatic  declaration  of  his  Philippine  policy.  He  relieved  General 
Otis  of  all  blame  and  criticism,  and  said  he  assumed  all  the  responsibility 
for  the  campaign.  The  latter  would  not  stop,  he  said,  until  the  insurrection 
was  suppressed  and  American  authority  acknowledged  and  established  beyond 
question. 

Vast  Crowd  of  Patriots. 

The  speech  was  delivered  in  the  presence  of  40,000  to  60,000  people, 
and  those  who  heard  it  cheered  until  they  were  tired.  It  was  a  great  day 
for  Pittsburg,  the  crowd,  it  is  claimed,  being  the  largest  that  ever  assembled 
there.  After  the  speech-making  all  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment were  given  gold-mounted  swords,  and  each  private  and  non-commis- 
sioned officer  received  a  bronze  medal,  presented  to  them  by  the  people  of 
Western  Pennsylvania. 

Governor  Stone  introduced  President  McKinley,  who  received  an  enthu- 
siastic reception.  The  greatest  applause  came  from  the  soldiers,  arid  when 
they  cheered  it  was  like  the  victorious  cry  of  an  American  army  rushing  to 
victory.  The  President  said  : 

"  Governor  Stone  and  my  Fellow-citizens :  I  am  glad  to  participate  with 
the  families,  friends  and  fellow-citizens  of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
in  this  glad  reunion. 

*'  You  have  earned  the  plaudits  not  alone  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  of  the  whole  nation.  Your  return  has  been  the  signal  for  a  great  demon- 
stration of  popular  regard  from  your  landing  in  the  Golden  Gate  on  the 
Pacific  to  your  home-coming,  and  here  you  find  a  warmth  of  welcome  and  a 
greeting  from  joyous  hearts,  which  tell  better  than  words  the  estimate  of  your 
countrymen,  and  their  high  appreciation  of  the  services  you  have  rendered 
the  country.  You  made  secure  and  permanent  the  victory  of  Dewey.  You 
added  new  glory  to  American  arms.  You  and  your  brave  comrades  engaged 


614    VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS. 

on  other  fields  of  conflict  have  enlarged  the  map  of  the  United  States,  and 
extended  the  jurisdiction  of  American  liberty. 

"  But  while  we  share  in  the  joy  that  is  yours,  there  remain  with  us  sof- 
tened and  hallowed  memories  of  those  who  went  forth  with  you  not  found  in 
your  ranks  to-day.  Your  noble  colonel,  devoted  to  his  men,  beloved  by  his 
command,  and  respected  by  his  superior  officers,  gave  his  life  to  his  country 
with  many  others  of  his  comrades.  The  nation  sorrows  with  the  bereaved. 
These  heroes  died  for  their  country,  and  there  is  no  nobler  death. 

"  Our  troops  represented  the  courage  and  conscience,  the  purpose  and 
patriotism  of  their  country.  Whether  in  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  or  the  Philippines, 
or  at  home  awaiting  orders,  they  did  their  full  duty,  and  all  sought  the  post 
of  greatest  peril.  They  never  faltered.  The  Eighth  Army  Corps  in  the 
Philippines  have  made  a  proud  and  exceptional  record.  Privileged  to  be 
mustered  out  in  April,  when  the  ratifications  of  the  treaty  of  peace  were 
exchanged,  they  did  not  claim  the  privilege — they  declined  it  They  volun- 
tarily remained  in  the  service,  and  declared  their  purpose  to  stay  until  their 
places  could  be  filled  by  new  levies,  and  longer  if  the  government  needed 
them.  Their  service — and  they  understood  it — was  not  to  be  in  camp  or  gar- 
rison, free  from  danger,  but  on  the  battle  line,  where  exposure  and  death  con- 
fronted them,  and  where  both  have  exacted  their  victims. 

Stood  by  Their  Guns. 

"  They  did  not  stack  arms.  They  did  not  run  away.  They  were  not 
serving  the  insurgents  in  the  Philippines  or  their  sympathizers  at  home. 
They  had  no  part  or  patience  with  the  men,  few  in  number,  happily,  who 
would  have  rejoiced  to  see  them  have  laid  down  their  arms  in  the  presence  of 
an  enemy  whom  they  had  just  emancipated  from  Spanish  rule,  and  who 
should  have  been  our  firmest  friends.  They  furnished  an  example  of  devotion 
and  sacrifice  which  will  brighten  the  glorious  record  of  American  valor 
They  have  secured  not  alone  the  gratitude  of  the  government  and  the  peoples 
but  for  themselves  and  their  descendants  an  imperishable  distinction.  They 
may  not  fully  appreciate,  and  the  country  may  not,  the  heroism  of  their  con- 
duct and  its  important  support  to  the  government.  I  think  I  do,  and  so  I  am 
here  to  express  it. 

"  The  mighty  army  of  volunteers  and  regulars,  numbering  over  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  which  last  year  responded  to  the  call  of  the  govern- 
ment with  an  alacrity  without  precedent  or  parallel,  by  the  terms  of  their 
enlistment  were  to  be  mustered  out,  with  all  of  the  regulars  above  27,000, 
when  peace  with  Spain  was  effected.  Peace  brought  us  the  Philippines,  by- 
treaty  session  from  Spain.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  ratified  the 


VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN   AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.     515 

treaty.  Every  step  taken  was  in  obedience  to  the  requirements  of  the  Consti- 
tution. It  became  our  territory  and  is  ours,  as  much  as  the  Louisiana  pur- 
chase or  Texas,  or  Alaska. 

"  A  body  of  insurgents  in  no  sense  representing  the  sentiment  of  the 
people  of  the  islands,  disputed  our  lawful  authority,  and  even  before  the  rati- 
fication of  the  treaty  by  the  American  Senate,  were  attacking  the  very  forces 
who  fought  for  and  secured  their  freedom. 

"  This  was  the  situation  in  April,  1899,  the  date  of  the  exchange  of  ratifi- 
cations, with  only  27,000  regulars  subject  to  the  unquestioned  direction  of  the 
Executive,  and  they  for  the  most  part  on  duty  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  or 
invalided  at  home  after  their  severe  campaign  in  the  tropics.  Even  had  they 
been  available  it  would  have  required  months  to  transport  them  to  the  Phil- 
ippines. 

Heroes  of  the  Battlefield. 

"  Practically  a  new  army  had  to  be  created.  These  loyal  volunteers  in 
the  Philippines  said :  '  We  will  stay  until  the  government  can  organize  an 
army  at  home  and  transport  it  to  the  seat  of  hostilities/  They  did  stay, 
cheerfully,  uncomplainingly,  patriotically.  They  suffered  and  sacrificed,  they 
fought  and  fell,  they  drove  back  and  punished  the  rebels  who  resisted  Fed- 
eral authority  and  who  with  force  attacked  the  sovereignty  of  the  United 
States  in  its  newly  acquired  territory.  Without  them  then  and  there  we 
would  have  been  practically  helpless  on  land,  and  our  flag  would  have  had 
its  first  stain  and  the  American  name  its  first  ignominy. 

"  The  brilliant  victories  of  the  army  and  navy  in  the  bay  and  city  of 
Manila  would  have  been  won  in  vain,  and  our  obligations  to  civilization 
would  have  remained  temporarily  unperformed,  chaos  would  have  reigned, 
and  whatever  government  there  was  would  have  been  by  the  will  of  one  man 
and  not  by  the  consent  of  the  governed.  Who  refused  to  sound  the  retreat  ? 
Who  stood  in  the  breach  when  others  weakened  ?  Who  resisted  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  unpatriotic  that  they  should  come  home  ?  Let  me  call  the  roll  of 
the  regiments  and  battalions  that  deserve  to  be  perpetuated  on  the  nation's 
annals.  Their  action  was  not  a  sudden  impulse  under  excitement,  but  a 
deliberate  determination  to  sustain,  at  the  cost  of  life  if  need  be,  the  honor  of 
their  government  and  the  authority  of  its  flag. 

First  California,  California  Artillery,  First  Colorado, 

First  Idaho,  Fifty-first  Iowa,  Twentieth  Kansas, 

Thirteenth  Minnesota,  First  Montana,  First  Nebraska, 

First  North  Dakota,  Nevada  Cavalry,  Second  Oregon, 

Tenth  Pennsylvania,  First  South  Dakota,  First  Tennessee, 

Utah  Artillery,  First  Washington,  First  Wyoming, 
Wyoming  Battery. 


516     VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN  AGAINST   THE   INSURGENTS. 

"  To  these  must  be  added  about  4,000  enlisted  men  of  the  regular  army 
who  were  entitled  to  their  discharge  under  the  peace  proclamation  of  April 
n,  1899,  the  greater  portion  of  whom  participated  in  the  engagements  of  the 
Eighth  Corps,  and  are  still  performing  arduous  services  in  the  field. 

"  Nor  must  the  navy  be  forgotten.  Sixty-five  devoted  sailors  partici- 
pated in  the  engagement  of  May  1st  in  Manila  Bay,  whose  terms  of  ser- 
vice had  previously  expired,  continuing  on  duty  quite  a  year  after  that 
action.  For  these  men  of  the  army  and  navy  we  have  only  honor  and 
gratitude. 

"  The  world  will  never  know  the  restraint  of  our  soldiers,  their  self-con- 
trol under  the  most  exasperating  conditions.  For  weeks  subject  to  the  insults 
and  duplicity  of  the  insurgent  leaders,  they  preserved  the  status  quo,  remem- 
bering that  they  were  under  an  order  from  their  government  to  strictly  observe 
the  terms  of  the  protocol  in  letter  and  spirit,  and  avoid  all  conflict  except  in 
defense  pending  the  negotiations  of  the  treaty  of  peace. 

"  They  were  not  the  aggressors.  They  did  not  begin  hostilities  against 
the  insurgents  pending  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace  in  the  Senate, 
great  as  was  their  justification,  because  their  orders  from  Washington  for- 
bade it.  Until  the  treaty  was  ratified  we  had  no  authority  beyond  Manila 
city,  bay  and  harbor.  We  then  had  no  other  title  to  defend,  no  authority 
beyond  that  to  maintain.  Spain  was  still  in  possession  of  the  remainder  of 
the  archipelago.  Spain  had  sued  for  peace.  The  truce  and  treaty  were 
not  concluded.  The  first  blow  was  struck  by  the  insurgents. 

Bullets  in  Return  for  Kindness. 

"  Our  kindness  was  reciprocated  with  cruelty,  our  mercy  with  a  Mauser. 
The  flag  of  truce  was  invoked  only  to  be  dishonored.  Our  soldiers  were  shot 
down  when  ministering  to  the  wounded  Filipinos.  Our  humanity  was  inter- 
preted as  weakness,  our  forbearance  as  cowardice.  They  assailed  our  sover- 
eignty, and  there  will  be  no  useless  parley — no  pause  until  the  insurrection  is 
suppressed  and  American  authority  acknowledged  and  established. 

"  Every  one  of  the  noble  men,  regulars  or  volunteers,  soldiers  or  seamen, 
who  thus  signally  served  their  country  in  its  extremity  deserves  the  special 
recognition  of  Congress,  and  it  will  be  to  me  an  unfeigned  pleasure  to  recom- 
mend for  each  of  them  a  special  medal  of  honor. 

"•'  The  government  to  which  you  gave  your  loyalty  welcomes  you  to  your 
homes.  With  no  blot  or  stain  upon  your  record,  the  story  of  your  unselfish 
services  to  country  and  to  civilization  will  be  to  the  men  who  take  your 
places  at  the  front  and  on  the  firing  line,  and  to  future  generations  an  example 
of  patriotism  ar/'j  ?.r)  inspiration  to  duty." 


VIGOROUS   CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE   INSURGENTS.     51V 

Active  military  operations  in  the  Philippines  were  almost  entirely  halted 
by  the  wet  season,  but  an  occasional  brush  with  the  enemy  served  to  keep 
our  troops  on  the  alert  and  in  fighting  mood.  The  United  States  cruiser 
Charleston,  the  monitor  Monterey  and  the  gunboats  Concord  and  Zafiro,  with 
marines  and  bluejackets  from  the  cruiser  Baltimore,  left  Cavite  on  September 
1 8th,  and  proceeded  to  Subig  Bay  to  destroy  an  insurgent  cannon  there. 
Owing  to  the  bad  weather  the  operation  was  postponed  until  the  23d,  when 
the  war  ships  bombarded  the  town  of  Olangapo  and  the  intrenchments  where 
the  gun  was  situated. 

Men  from  the  Charleston,  Concord  and  Zafiro  were  then  landed,  under  a 
heavy  insurgent  fire.  They  advanced  to  the  cannon,  which  they  destroyed 
by  gun-cotton,  and  then  returned  to  the  war  ships.  The  Americans  had  one 
man  wounded  during  the  engagement. 

The  Monterey  Nearly  Hit. 

Details  of  the  engagement  show  that  while  waiting  in  Subig  Bay  for 
better  weather  the  Americans  descried  Filipino  reinforcements  moving  toward 
Olangapo.  At  twenty  minutes  to  seven  o'clock  on  the  23d,  the  Monterey 
began  the  advance  upon  the  town,  which  was  about  three  miles  east  of  the 
monitor's  anchorage.  The  Charleston,  Concord  and  Zafiro  followed. 

The  Monterey  opened  fire  with  her  secondary  and  main  batteries  at 
twenty-five  minutes  past  seven  o'clock,  the  Charleston  and  Concord  joining 
in  the  firing  immediately.  At  twenty-two  minutes  to  eight  the  insurgent 
cannon  answered,  the  first  shot  passing  close  to  the  Monterey's  smokestack. 

The  American  bombardment  became  general.  At  half-past  nine  o'clock 
the  Monterey  advanced  to  a  range  of  six  hundred  yards,  using  her  main 
battery.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  landed  about  eight  hundred  yards 
east  of  the  cannon  at  eleven  o'clock  under  a  severe  Mauser  fire  from  the 
shore.  The  cannon  was  found  to  be  a  6-inch  Krupp  gun  that  the  insurgents 
had  obtained  from  the  Spaniards.  Fifty  pounds  of  gun-cotton  were  used  in 
destroying  it. 

The  insurgents  captured  the  United  States  gunboat  Urdaneta  in  the 
Orani  river,  on  the  northwest  side  of  Manila  Bay,  on  September  25th,  where 
she  was  patrolling.  One  officer  and  nine  of  her  crew  are  missing.  They 
have  probably  either  been  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  The  United  States  gun- 
boat Petrel,  sent  to  investigate  the  matter,  returned  and  reported  that  the 
Urdaneta  was  beached  opposite  the  town  of  Orani,  on  the  Orani  river. 

She  was  riddled  with  bullets  and  burned,  and  the  following  guns,  with 
their  ammunition,  were  captured:  a  one-pounder,  one  Colt  automatic  gun, 
and  one  Nordenfeldt  25-millimetre  gun. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 
Reminiscences  and  Anecdotes  of  Admiral  Dewey. 

the  time  approached  for  the  Admiral  to  set  his  foot  again  upon 
his  native  soil  our  whole  country  was  stirred  with  welcoming 
enthusiasm.  There  was  a  tremor  in  the  air  which  signified  that  a 
hero  was  coming.  Preparations  on  the  broadest  scale  were  made 
to  give  him  a  reception  that  would  express  American  admiration  for  his 
sterling  character  and  grand  achievements. 

As  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter  the  Pacific  coast  and  the  cities  through- 
out the  West  eagerly  sought  to  obtain  his  acceptance  of  their  invitations. 
The  people  everywhere  were  eager  to  welcome  Dewey.  It  was  plain  that  his 
coming  would  be  nothing  less  than  an  unprecedented  triumph,  and  in 
triumphal  processions  would  he  be  honored  beyond  almost  any  other  chieftain 
or  commander  of  modern  times. 

Great  Enthusiasm  Over  his  Return. 

When  it  was  definitely  decided  that  he  would  land  in  New  York  and  be 
the  guest  of  the  metropolis,  the  welcome  to  be  extended  to  him  was  the  one 
thing  that  occupied  the  public  mind  and  expectation.  The  whole  city  was 
aroused,  and  this  feeling  of  admiration,  this  disposition  to  honor  the  renowned 
commander  was  not  confined  to  New  York,  but  extended  throughout  the 
entire  country.  Our  nation  has  always  honored  its  navy,  and  it  is  but  truth 
to  say  that  scarcely  any  nation  has  had  greater  occasion  or  opportunity  to 
magnify  the  exploits  of  its  gallant  tars  than  has  our  own. 

While  the  public  mind  was  so  occupied  with  the  welcome  to  Admiral 
Dewey,  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose  everything  connected  with  his  life  and 
character  would  awaken  great  interest  among  all  classes  of  our  people.  The 
story  of  his  early  life  was  told  over  and  over  again.  His  courage  displayed 
during  the  Civil  War,  was  rehearsed,  and  the  fact  that  only  two  years  before 
he  was  almost  unknown,  while  in  so  short  a  space  of  time  his  fame  had 
grown  to  be  world  wide,  was  commented  upon,  and  unbounded  admiration 
was  expressed  for  the  courage,  the  tact  and  patriotism  by  which  he  had  gained 
such  great  distinction. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  volume  we  have  narrated  the  story  of  Admiral 
Dewey's  life,  but  new  facts  and  incidents  have  been  constantly  coming  to 
518 


REMINISCENCES   OF   ADMIRAL   DEWEY.  519 

light,  and  these  we  take  pleasure  in  inserting  here,  in  order  that  the  history  of 
the  man  and  his  illustrious  deeds  raay  be  complete. 

With  the  world  ringing  with  the  praise  of  the  hero  of  the  Philippines,  it 
is  pleasant  to  revert  to  the  social  side  of  Admiral  Dewey  and  recall  the  scenes 
and  incidents  which  mark  the  fighter  as  a  thorough  man  alike  in  peace  and  in 
war.  It  was  in  the  low  gabled  home  of  the  Deweys,  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  that 
the  young  man  destined  to  hold  such  an  important  place  in  national  history 
received  the  instruction  of  his  father,  Dr.  Julius  Y.  Dewey,  who,  born  in 
iSoi,  was  himself  brought  up  in  the  strictest  precepts  of  moral  government 
by  his  father,  Simeon  Dewey,  th^  grandfather  of  the  Admiral,  who  was  born 
in  Hanover,  N.  H.,  in  1769,  and  moved  to  Monpelier  later  in  the  century. 

Throughout  his  career  as  a  cadet  George  Dewey,  the  man,  was  admired 
and  respected.  He  only  Awaited  a  grand  oportunity  to  prove  himself.  He 
did  not  think  that  he  wor.ld  be  waiting  thirty-seven  years  for  the  chance,  but 
when  it  came  it  found  him  as  ripe  and  ready  as  on  the  hour  he  met  the  beauti- 
ful Miss  Susie  Goodwin,  the  daughter  of  Governor  Goodwin,  of  his  native 
State,  and  longed  to  prove  his  prowess  for  her  hand.  There  were  many 
suitors  for  Miss  Goodwin's  hand,  many  of  them  naval  officers  of  superior  rank. 
After  months  of  persistency,  however,  the  young  officer  won  the  right  to  be 
regarded  as  the  favored  one. 

Came  Out  Ahead  of  All  Rivals. 

The  courtship  was  idyllic,  and  the  very  opposition  to  the  young  officer 
was  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  man,  who  loved  opposition  rather  than  shrank 
from  its  problems.  The  old  residents  of  Portsmouth  remember  with  what 
persistent  assiduity  the  suitor  pursued  his  cause  for  the  hand  of  the  Gover- 
nor's beautiful  daughter.  Against  him  in  the  conquest  there  were  no  less 
personages  than  commodores  and  foreign  nobles,  statesmen  and  men  of 
wealth  ;  but,  fearless  and  gentle  through  all,  with  admirable  coolness  and 
patience  in  love  as  afterward  in  war,  the  young  officer  pressed  his  suit. 

His  most  formidable  rival  was  probably  Commodore  Rhind,  of  the  Nar- 
ragansett,  then  preparing  in  Portsmouth  harbor  for  a  long  cruise.  The  Com- 
modore had  long  been  enamored  of  the  charms  of  the  Governor's  lovely 
daughter,  and  laid  siege  to  the  tender  heart  with  unabating  zeal.  When  the 
under  officer,  Commander  Dewey,  appeared  on  the  field,  there  was  consterna- 
tion in  naval  circles,  for  it  was  always  thought  a  foregone  conclusion  that  the 
Commodore  had  everything  his  own  way. 

Commander  Dewey  was  at  that  time  the  typical  beau  of  the  naval  corps, 
dressing  with  exceeding  grace  and  care,  incurring  the  envy  of  the  men  and 
meriting  the  admiration  of  the  women,  as  well  as  gaining  the  sobriquet 


REMINISCENCES   OF   ADMIRAL   DEWEY. 

"  Dandy  Dewey."  "Nevertheless,"  said  the  venerable  Governor,  "  there  is 
something  about  George  Dewey  that  I  love  and  respect,  and  if  he  has  the 
opportunity  he  will  make  his  impression  upon  naval  history."  The  words 
were  almost  prophetic  of  after  years.  It  was  plain  in  the  maiden's  ey^s  that 
the  younger  and  under  officer  was  preferred  to  the  older  one  and  his  superior 
officer,  Commodore  Rhind,  and,  like  a  dutiful  daughter,  if  not  like  a  romantic 
maiden  in  the  full  flush  of  youthful  enthusiasm,  she  displayed  a  slight  leaning 
in  favor  of  "  Dandy  Dewey." 

The  vantage  was  quickly  recognized  and  seized  upon  by  the  naval  strate- 
gist. Early  in  the  year  1867  Lieutenant  Commander  George  Dewey  was 
accepted,  and  the  other  competitors  retired  from  the  field.  Great  was  the 
victory  of  the  young  officer.  Greater  to  him  than  any  subsequent  one  in  the 
hero's  career  was  the  triumph  over  the  maiden  heart  of  the  Governor's  daugh- 
ter, followed  by  the  wedding  on  October  24  of  the  same  year.  There  were 
months  of  supreme  bliss  following  this  consummation,  and  then  Dewey  was 
assigned  to  command  the  Colorado,  the  flagship  of  the  European  squadron. 

Long  Period  of  Separation. 

Two  years  of  separation  from  the  wife  of  his  heart  now  intervened. 
When  Commander  Dewey  returned  he  was  assigned  to  his  rival's  vessel,  the 
Narragansett,  and  remained  with  her  till  the  fall  of  1870.  There  was  a  pro- 
longed second  honeymoon,  as  it  were,  at  Newport  during  1871  and  1872. 
Made  commander  of  the  Narragansett  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year,  the 
officer  spent  the  summer  and  autumn  in  the  delightful  companionship  of  his 
charming  wife,  and  these  were  months  long  to  be  cherished  in  his  memory  in 
after  years.  Two  days  before  Christmas  of  1872  a  son  was  born  to  the  happy 
pair.  He  was  named  George  Goodwin  Dewey,  the  first  after  the  boy's  father, 
the  second  after  the  mother's  father,  stanch  old  Governor  Ichabod  Goodwin, 
of  New  Hampshire. 

Five  days  later  the  bitterest  blow  that  ever  befell  the  man  whose  career 
had  been  marked  heretofore  with  constant  triumphs  came  upon  Commander 
Dewey.  The  wife  of  his  heart,  Susan  Goodwin  Dewey,  passed  away  in  his  arms 
after  days  of  bitter  suffering  so  bravely  borne.  From  this  shock  and  reversal 
of  fortune  the  Commander  never  fully  recovered.  It  was  months  before  he 
could,  realize  his  loss,  and  even  to  this  day  he  does  not  allow  that  sacred  name 
to  be  spoken  in  his  presence  save  by  those  few  very  near  and  dear  to  him. 

The  man  who  could  go  through  shot  and  shell  without  flinching  now 
succumbed  to  deadly  melancholy,  which  affected  his  extraordinary  health  and 
strength.  The  tenderness  of  his  heart  and  the  sterling  faithfulness  of  his  na- 
ture were  exemplified  in  the  man's  heart-rending  sorrow  and  his  prolonged 


REMINISCENCES   OF   ADMIRAL   DEVVEY.  521 

period  of  mourning.  The  little  son  was  taken  to  Portsmouth  and  reared  by 
the  parents  of  the  mother,  was  graduated  from  Princeton  College,  and  prepared 
for  a  promising  place  in  business  life.  The  Commander  himself  took  one 
or  two  long  voyages,  but  in  1876  asked  and  obtained  shore  duty  as  secretary 
of  the  Lighthouse  Board. 

But,  seaman  by  nature,  the  landlubber's  life  was  not  to  his  liking.  In 
the  summer  of  1881  the  Commander  was  assigned  to  the  Juniata,  of  the  Asiatic 
squadron.  It  was  a  most  propitious  move,  and  seemed  to  have  in  it  the  vis- 
ible hand  of  a  beneficent  Providence.  From  that  time  the  Commander  never 
again  forsook  the  sea  for  shore  duty  for  more  than  a  passing  period,  and,  later, 
when  Commander  of  the  Pensacola,  of  the  European  squadron,  executed  some 
difficult  orders  of  the  Navy  Department  requiring  the  nicest  diplomacy  and 
the  most  sterling  sense  of  honor. 

In  the  year  1884,  suffering  from  an  affection  of  the  liver,  he  underwent 
a  serious  operation  at  the  hands  of  Italian  doctors  at  Malta,  and  only  a  giant's 
reserve  of  strength  and  determination  to  win  the  battle  with  death  led  him 
through  that  dangerous  period.  On  sick  leave  for  a  year  following,  the  Com- 
mander went  to  California,  where  he  fully  recovered  his  health.  His  next 
command  was  the  Dolphin,  and  he  was  later  chief  of  the  Equipment  Bureau, 
with  the  rank  of  Commodore.  In  1893  he  resumed  temporary  duty  on  the 
Lighthouse  Board,  and  in  1896  took  dommand  of  the  Asiatic  squadron.  In 
this  capacity  he  distinguished  himself  in  a  manner  that  makes  his  name  im- 
mortal, and  acquired  for  him  the  rank  of  Admiral  and  the  merited  plaudits  of 
the  whole  civilized  world. 

Believes  in  Strict  Discipline. 

Personally  and  socially  Admiral  George  Dewey  has  always  appeared  to 
be  a  stern  disciplinarian  and  a  man  of  great  personal  pride,  dominated,  how- 
ever, by  sterling  good  sense.  There  is  an  incident  of  his  boyhood  career 
which  illustrates  his  insistence  upon  the  rigorous  military  rule,  and  may  have 
had  much  to  do  with  his  management  of  men  aboard  ship.  Young  George 
Dewey,  as  a  schoolboy,  headed  a  conspiracy  to  defy  the  authority  of  the  mas- 
ter of  the  school  at  Montpelier,  Dominie  Pangborn.  When  mutiny  was  rife 
the  leader,  young  George,  was  seized  and  cowhided  in  a  most  severe  manner 
by  his  teacher,  and  then  marched  home  to  the  office  of  his  father,  Dr.  Dewey, 
where,  alas !  he  found  no  sympathy  in  his  rebellion.  Indeed,  the  Doctor 
threatened  to  repeat  the  thrashing  if  any  more  evidences  of  insubordination 
came  to  his  ears,  and  the  young  fighter  relinquished  the  conspiracy. 

Afterward  he  became  a  bosom  friend  of  his  tutor,  and  to  this  day,  though 
it  is  said  that  he  bears  the  scars  of  that  whipping,  he  holds  the  man  who  wielded 


522  REMINISCENCES   OF   ADMIRAL   DEWEY. 

the  lash  in  somewhat  grateful  remembrance.  It  was  this  just  punishment  for 
mutiny  that  undoubtedly  made  the  Admiral  so  stern  a  disciplinarian  during 
duty  hours  on  shipboard,  and  yet  his  own  early  love  of  mischief  and  his  gen- 
erosity of  heart  condoned  many  a  trivial  breach  of  naval  etiquette. 

Montpelier  has  not  often  seen  the  Admiral,  nor  has  Portsmouth,  the 
scenes  of  his  courtship  and  marriage.  It  seemed  that  these  localities  brought 
home  to  his  heart  too  many  memories  of  the  past  that  inspired  sadness  rather 
than  joy.  These  towns,  however,  as  well  as  the  whole  State  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, hold  their  hero  in  grateful  regard,  and  every  anecdote  of  the  black-eyed 
boy  is  related  with  pride  by  the  elders,  and  listened  to  with  interest  by  old 
and  young  alike. 

The  fighting  characteristics  in  the  Admiral  are  rightly  inherited.  The 
Deweys  are  a  fighting  clan.  Excellent  marksmanship  and  skilled  use  of  the 
broadsword  have  marked  the  Deweys  from  Revolutionary  days.  Since 
Thomas  Dewey,  who  was  born  in  Kent  County,  England,  came  over  in  1663 
to  settle  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  began  to  fight  the  Indians,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  there  have  been  Deweys  in  every  American  war.  Jeremiah  Dewey, 
born  in  Windsor  in  1704,  served  in  the  Continental  army  throughout  the 
Revolution,  and  then  moved  to  New  Hampshire.  Jeremiah  Dewey,  Jr.,  born 
in  1733,  also  served  in  the  patriots'  ranks  against  the  British.  Simeon 
Dewey,  born  in  1769,  was  for  a  short  time  in  the  war  of  1812. 

A  Family  of  Patriots. 

In  the  late  Civil  War,  the  Admiral's  elder  brother,  Edward,  served  with 
honors,  attaining  the  rank  of  captain,  and  in  the  late  war  with  Spain  one  of 
his  brothers  sent  two  sons  to  the  front  in  defence  of  their  country.  In  the 
War  of  1812,  there  were  no  less  than  a  round  dozen  of  the  fighting  Dewey 
clan.  In  that  of  the  Revolution  there  were  twice  that  number.  From  Ver- 
mont alone  in  the  Civil  War  there  were  recruited  twenty-five  Deweys,  Massa- 
chusetts also  sending  six,  commanded  by  a  Dewey  blood  relation,  while  from 
the  West  there  were  no  less  than  seventy  of  the  Dewey  strain  that  fought  for 
the  preservation  of  the  Union.  With  such  fighting  stamina  to  sustain  him  in 
time  of  emergency  it  is  not  wonderful  that  the  Admiral  became  the  man  of 
the  hour  when  the  first  gun  sounded  over  Manila,  and  the  map  of  the  world 
became  changed. 

Dewey  family  characteristics  appear  in  the  most  distant  relations.  They 
are  of  broad,  heavy  build,  not  over  tall,  active  and  firmly  knit  of  figure,  and 
the  nose  is  a  prominent  feature.  A  fine,  wide  brow,  and  calm,  piercing  eyes 
that  look  and  judge  with  the  intuition  of  a  savage  chief,  coupled  with  the 
acumen  of  one  of  superior  mind,  suggest  a  race  of  heroes.  The  genealogy  of 


REMINISCENCES   OF  ADMIRAL   DEWEY.  623 

the  family  embraces  twenty  or  more  thousand  names,  with  representatives  in 
every  State  of  the  Union,  in  far  South  Africa  and  Australia,  in  Asia  and 
Europe. 

From  another  account  of  Admiral  Dewey's  life  we  glean  some  particu- 
lars of  interest,  which,  although  briefly  referred  to  in  preceding  chapters,  are 
here  stated  more  fully 

Cadet  George  Dewey  received  his  commission  as  lieutenant  on  April  19, 
1861,  just  a  few  days  after  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter.  He  was  as- 
signed at  once  to  the  steam  sloop  Mississippi,  a  clumsy  side-wheeler  of  the 
old-fashioned  sort,  which  was  destined  to  play  a  glorious  part  in  the  fierce 
fighting  of  the  West  Gulf  squadron,  under  Farragut.  With  Farragut's 
other  vessels,  she  assisted  in  forcing  an  entrance  to  the  Mississippi  River  and 
in  running  the  gauntlet  of  fire  from  the  forts  below  New  Orleans  and  the  Con- 
federate fleet  defending  that  port.  After  the  capture  of  New  Orleans  she  took 
part  in  the  daring  attempt  by  Admiral  Farragut  to  run  past  the  formidable 
batteries  of  Port  Hudson,  and  was  sunk  and  abandoned. 

Great  Bravery  and  Rapid  Promotion. 

Dewey's  bravery  in  these  engagements  was  so  conspicuous  that  before  the 
end  of  the  war,  on  March  3,  1865,  he  received  his  commission  as  lieutenant 
commander,  or,  in  other  words,  achieved  in  seven  years  after  graduation  a 
rank  that  now  requires  nearly  seventeen  years. 

During  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  he  was  executive  officer  of  his  ship,  a 
great  responsibility  for  so  young  a  man.  Captain  Melancthon  Smith  was  in 
command.  Just  before  dawn,  as  the  end  of  the  engagement  appeared  to  be 
at  hand,  the  Confederate  ram  Manassas  came  down  the  river  at  full  speed  to 
attack  the  Union  fleet.  She  struck  the  great  frigate  Manassas  twice,  but  with 
only  slight  damage,  and  after  a  terrific  exchange  of  cannon  balls,  drifted  away 
in  the  darkness  to  seek  new  adversaries.  In  the  gray  of  early  dawn  she  bore 
down  upon  the  Mississippi.  Chief  Engineer  Baird,  an  eye-witness  of  what 
followed,  has  given  a  vivid  description  of  Dewey's  bearing  in  this  emer- 
gency : — 

"  Dewey  like  a  flash  saw  what  was  best  to  be  done,  and  as  he  put  his 
knowledge  into  words  the  head  of  the  Mississippi  fell  off,  and  as  the  ram  came 
up  alongside  the  entire  starboard  broadside  plunged  a  mass  of  iron  shot  and 
shell  through  her  armor,  and  she  began  to  sink.  Her  crew  ran  her  ashore  and 
escaped.  A  boat's  crew  from  our  ship  went  on  board,  thinking  to  extinguish 
the  flames  which  our  broadside  had  started  and  also  to  capture  her.  But  she 
was  too  far  gone.  Dewey  took  us  all  through  the  fight,  and  in  a  manner 
which  won  the  highest  praise,  not  only  of  all  on  board,  but  of  Farragut  him- 


524  REMINISCENCES   OF   ADMIRAL   DEWEY. 

self.  He  was  cool  from  first  to  last,  and  after  we  had  passed  the  fort  and 
reached  safety  and  he  came  back  from  the  bridge,  his  face  was  black  with 
smoke,  but  there  wasn't  a  drop  of  perspiration  on  his  brow.  " 

It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  With  the  loss  of  the  Manassas  the  vic- 
tory was  won.  One  after  another  the  Confederate  fleet  had  been  destroyed. 
The  Varuna  was  the  only  one  of  the  Union's  fleet  that  was  sunk.  Thirteen 
of  Farragut's  vessels  rallied  around  his  flag  and  the  wrecks  of  the  enemy. 
With  these  he  reached  New  Orleans  on  April  26,  1862.  The  fall  of  that  city 
followed  in  due  course. 

The  Mississippi  was  lost,  as  already  stated,  in  the  attempt  to  run  the 
Datteries  at  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson,  further  up  the  river.  Farragut's 
purpose  was  simply  to  pass  the  bluff  batteries  in  order  to  blockade  the  river 
above  the  bend. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  at  night,  March  14,  1863,  that  the  signal  to  advance 
was  given.  Directly  opposite  the  centre  of  the  Port  Hudson  battery  the 
Mississippi  stuck  hard  and  fast.  In  thirty  minutes  she  was  struck  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  times.  Her  crew  climbed  into  boats  on  the  side  opposite  the 
forts.  The  task  of  getting  the  men  to  safety  through  a  withering  rifle  fire 
devolved  upon  Lieutenant  Dewey.  Twice  he  made  the  journey  to  the  Rich- 
mond and  back,  until  at  last  he  and  Captain  Smith  stood  alone  on  the  deck. 

"  Are  you  sure  she  will  burn,  Dewey  ?  "  the  Captain  asked,  wistfully,  as 
he  passed  the  gangway. 

Dewey  risked  his  life  to  go  to  the  wardroom  for  a  last  look.  He  reported 
that  there  was  no  hope  of  saving  the  vessel.  Then  the  two  men  together  left 
the  deck  with  the  shot  splashing  all  around  them. 

Praise  from  his  Superior  Officer. 

A  marine  who  was  on  the  Mississippi  relates  that  Lieutenant  Dewey  was 
too  unselfish  to  think  only  oi  himself  when  any  of  his  comrades  were  in  danger. 
Not  far  from  him  he  espied  a  seaman  who  was  trying  to  keep  afloat,  his  right 
arm  being  paralyzed  by  a  bullet.  Dewey,  who  was  a  bold,  powerful  swimmer, 
struck  out  for  him  and  held  him  up  until  they  reached  a  floating  spar,  when 
the  wounded  marine  was  safely  towed  ashore. 

In  his  report  of  the  disaster  to  Washington,  Captain  Smith  wound  up  by 
saying : — "  I  consider  that  I  should  be  neglecting  a  most  important  duty 
should  I  omit  to  mention  the  coolness  of  my  executive  officer,  Mr.  Dewey, 
and  the  steady,  fearless  and  gallant  manner  in  which  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  Mississippi  defended  her  and  the  orderly  and  quiet  manner  in  which  she 
was  abandoned  after  being  thirty-five  minutes  aground  under  the  fire  of  the 
enemy's  batteries. " 


REMINISCENCES   OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY.  525 

John  L.  Veimard,  commander  of  the  auxiliary  gunboat  Brown,  at  Ports- 
mouth Harbor,  was  ensign  on  board  the  Colorado  when  George  Dewey  was 
lieutenant  commander.  "  Admiral  Dewey  was  passionate,  just  and  perfect  in 
discipline,  "  he  said.  "For  the  man  who  was  seen  drunk  he  had  only  con- 
tempt, and  if  a  sailor  of  his  vessel,  dealt  severely  with  him.  Many  are  the 
offences  which  he  looked  lightly  upon,  but  drunkenness  seemed  quite  unfor- 
givable. This,  coupled  with  his  personal  courage  at  all  times,  marked  him 
always  as  a  superior  man.  A  manifestation  of  this  latter  quality  I  remember 
during  a  terrific  storm  off  Biscay,  the  most  dangerous  point  on  the  European 
coast,  when  we  were  on  a  lee  shore,  moving  at  our  utmost  speed,  barely  eight 
knots  an  hour. 

"  At  the  climax  of  the  storm  the  Admiral  relieved  Commander  Dewey  on 
the  bridge;  but  instead  of  going  below,  when  the  order  was  given  to  set  sail 
to  help  us  into  deep  water,  Dewey  sprang  up  the  ladder  and  began  assisting 
in  the  perilous  and  difficult  task  of  unfurling  sail.  In  a  short  time  the  coast 
was  left  behind,  with  its  foam-covered  breakers,  and  we  were  safe  at  sea.  The 
remembrance  of  that  event  will  stay  with  me  forever,  for  it  was  the  act  of  an 
officer  who  was  not  only  capable,  but  willing  to  do  common  sailor  duty,  and 
do  it  equally  with  the  best,  in  time  of  peril  and  emergency.  " 

Of  generosity  there  are  scores  of  instances  in  the  life  of  the  famous  Ad- 
miral. On  one  Christmas  morning  the  vessel  which  Dewey  commanded  was 
lying  in  the  Bay  of  Genoa.  There  was  a  shore  "  liberty  party  "  going  from 
the  ship  numbering  about  two  hundred  men.  There  were  also  about  two 
score  in  quarantine.  When  the  liberty  party  left,  a  great  gloom  fell  upon 
those  who  remained,  and  the  Admiral,  walking,  the  bridge,  observed  it. 
Finally  he  could  endure  the  sight  of  the  long  faces  no  more.  Sternly  he 
ordered  the  men  out  of  his  sight  below.  Crestfallen  they  went,  but  the  order 
soon  came  after,  "  Jump  into  your  mustering  clothes  and  get  to  shore,  but  be 
careful  you  do  not  disgrace  the  ship. "  The  men  were  overjoyed  at  the 
second  order,  and  on  leaving  the  man-of-war  gave  a  rousing  cheer.  When 
they  returned  not  a  man  but  was  reported  "  clean  and  sober, ''  and  the  honor 
of  the  ship  was  preserved.  It  was  a  gala  Christmas  for  the  tars  so  far  from 

home. 

An  Instance  of  Self-Control. 

When  Admiral  Dewey,  then  a  commander  by  rank,  was  secretary  of  the 
Lighthouse  Board  a  painful  accident  occurred  which  strikingly  illustrated  his 
self-command.  Commander  Dewey  had  made  a  report  regarding  one  of  the 
younger  officers  of  the  service  which  stood  in  the  way  of  that  officer's  pro- 
motion. It  should  be  understood  that  when  a  naval  officer  advances  from 
one  rank  to  another  he  is  subjected  to  a  rigorous  inquest  to  develop  his  fit- 


526  REMINISCENCES   OF  ADMIRAL   DEWEY. 

ness,  physically,  morally  and  professionally,  for  promotion.  This  was  the 
case  with  the  officer  mentioned. 

Dewey  had  made  the  report,  in  the  line  of  his  duty  as  the  commander  of 
one  of  the  ships,  which  reflected  upon  this  man  in  such  a  way  that  the  board 
of  examining  officers  would  not  pass  him.  Upon  being  apprised  of  this  state 
of  affairs  the  candidate  for  promotion  became  greatly  incensed.  He  united 
with  strong  drink  a  temper  already  aroused  to  the  danger  line  and  proceeded 
to  hunt  Dewey  up.  He  found  him  at  the  Lighthouse  Board,  in  the  Treasury, 
and  demanded  that  Dewey  should  withdraw  the  damaging  letter.  Dewey 
said,  with  much  composure,  that  he  would  not  think  for  an  instant  of  with- 
drawing it,  and  added  that  it  should  have  been  by  rights  more  severe  than  he 
made  it.  Thereupon  the  angered  officer  leaned  over  the  desk,  shook  his  fist 
in  Dewey's  face  and  launched  into  a  startling  tirade  of  blasphemy  and  vul- 
garity. Dewey  never  as  much  as  lifted  an  eye.  He  listened  calmly,  and 
when  the  excited  man  had  expended  a  share  of  his  violence  he  remarked : 

"  I  have  no  further  conversation  with  you,  sir;  no  further  business. 
There  is  the  door,  sir !  You  are  not  welcome." 

Personal  Characteristics. 

Admiral  Dewey  is  quiet  and  composed  in  manner.  He  does  not  speak 
much,  and  that  little  is  rarely  devoted  to  himself.  He  has  apparently  no 
vanity,  but  on  the  other  hand  he  has  no  mock  modesty,  none  of  that  pride 
which  apes  humility,  the  "  darling  sin  "  which  makes  the  devil  grin.  He  has 
the  dignity  and,  when  necessary,  the  self-assertion  which  comes  from  the 
consciousness  of  power.  He  is  deeply  devotional,  but  he  makes  no  parade 
of  his  religion.  He  carries  his  Bible  and  his  prayerbook  with  him,  but  they 
are  always  hidden  in  the  recesses  of  his  cabin.  He  is  notably  deferential  and 
courteous  to  women,  with  whom  he  has  always  been  a  favorite.  From  his 
father  he  inherits  an  abiding  love  for  children. 

He  is  scrupulously  neat  in  his  dress,  so  much  so  that  when,  at  Roose- 
velt's advice,  he  was  appointed  to  take  command  of  the  Asiatic  squadron,  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Naval  Council  is  said  to  have  protested 

"  Dewey  !    Why,  Dewey  is  a  dude  !" 

"  What  of  that  ?"  asked  Roosevelt. 

"  Why,  you  are  the  last  man  I  should  expect  to  want  to  advance  a  dude." 

"  I  didn't  want  to  advance  him,"  said  Mr.  Roosevelt ;  "  I'll  leave  that  to 
you  afterward.  All  I  want  is  a  man  over  there,  some  fellow  who  will  fight 
and  make  war.  I  don't  care  what  kind  of  a  collar  he  wears  •  that  is,  so  long 
as  it  is  some  kind  of  a  linen  collar." 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 
Our  Country's  Magnificent  Welcome  to  the  Hero  of  Manila, 

|N  his  homeward  voyage  from  Manila  Bay,  the  scene  of  his  mem- 
orable victory,  Admiral  Dewey  stopped  at  a  number  of  ports, 
and  was  everywhere  received  with  marked  honor.  This  was  a 
tribute  not  merely  to  the  man  himself,  but  to  the  country  which 
he  represented,  and  the  navy  of  which  he  was  the  chief.  It  was  supposed 
that  he  would  arrive  in  New  York  harbor  September  28th,  but  a  smile 
passed  over  the  face  of  the  public,  and  the  remark  was  made,  "  Dewey  is 
always  ahead  of  time,"  as  his  flagship,  the  Olympia,  appeared  off  Sandy  Hook 
on  Tuesday,  September  26th. 

This  somewhat  disconcerted  the  arrangements  made  by  New  York 
officials  for  his  reception,  but  the  reception  committee  immediately  went 
on  [board  to  convey  the  greetings  of  the  metropolis  and  the  American 
people,  and  on  Thursday,  according  to  previous  arrangements,  Governor 
Roosevelt  boarded  the  flagship  to  welcome  Dewey  in  the  name  of  the  Empire 
State. 

Olympia's  Guns  Salute  Distinguished  Guests. 

The  third  day  of  Admiral  Dewey's  presence  in  the  harbor  was  as  terrific- 
ally noisy  as  the  first  and  second.  There  was  hardly  a  half  hour  that  the 
guns  of  the  squadron  were  not  banging  salutes  to  State  officials,  to  army 
officials  or  to  navy  officials  who  paid  official  visits.  A  dozen  times  the  salut- 
ing guns  of  the  Olympia  thundered  in  honor  of  the  distinguished  men  who 
came  to  visit  Admiral  Dewey. 

It  was  announced  that  when  the  steamer  took  her  place  at  the  head  of 
the  naval  division  in  the  forthcoming  parade  she  would  fly  at  her  mainmast 
the  flag  that  Admiral  Farragut  flew  when  he  led  his  fleet  to  attack  the  fortifi- 
cations at  New  Orleans.  The  flag  had  on  it  then  but  two  stars.  Two  more 
were  added  to  it  when  Farragut  was  made  a  full  Admiral. 

Until  eleven  o'clock  on  the  28th  all  outsiders  were  kept  off  the  flagship. 
During  that  time  the  ship  was  cleaned  up  and  the  ceremony  of  distributing 
the  medals  Congress  voted  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  ships  that  took  part 
in  the  battle  at  Manila  Bay  was  gone  through  with.  These  medals  are  of 
bronze.  On  one  side  is  a  medallion  bust  of  Admiral  Dewey  and  the  legend, 
"  Gift  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Asiati< 

squadron,  under  command  of  Commodore  Dewey." 

527 


628  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO   DEWEY. 

On  the  reverse  side  is  displayed  a  figure  of  a  seaman,  stripped  and  astride 
a  big  gun.  This  side  bears  the  legend,  "  In  memory  of  the  victory  of  Manila 
Bay,  May  i,  1898." 

The  men  were  as  proud  of  their  medals  as  they  were  of  their  ship,  and 
they  pinned  them  to  their  breasts  and  strutted  around  commenting  on  the 
honor  that  it  was  to  wear  them,  and  giving  to  the  Admiral  himself  all  the 
credit  for  the  opportunity  they  had  to  earn  them. 

Admiral  Dewey's  formal  welcome  home  began  on  Friday,  September 
29th,  with  a  thunderous  burst  of  patriotic  fervor  that  would  have  thrown  any 
man  less  evenly  balanced  completely  off  his  mental  base.  Waiting  at  the 
threshold  of  the  metropolis,  just  before  the  unparalleled  greeting  to  him,  he 
told  the  Mayor,  with  that  modesty  which  is  characteristic  of  the  man,  that  his 
countrymen  had  overrated  his  work,  for  he  had  only  done  what  any  other 
captain  in  the  service  would  have  done. 

Thus  two  estimates  of  Dewey's  work  came  on  the  same  day,  and  the  one 
followed  the  other  almost  as  quickly  as  the  discharges  of  a  rapid-fire  gun.  The 
Admiral  just  before  noon,  standing  on  the  quarter  deck  of  the  Olympia,  said  : 

"  I  did  nothing  worthy  of  all  this  which  you  have  prepared  for  me." 

Immense  Outpouring  of  the  People. 

The  American  nation  an  hour  later,  through  two  millions  of  its  repre- 
sentatives— or  it  may  have  been  three  millions — afloat  and  ashore,  alow  and 
aloft,  crowding  every  imaginable  sort  of  craft,  packing  every  wharf,  every  dock, 
every  house-top,  every  slope  on  every  hill-side  from  Bay  Ridge  and  Tompkins- 
ville  to  Riverside  and  Fort  Lee,  proclaimed  that  he  was  mistaken. 

So  Dewey,  the  conqueror  in  war,  became  the  conqueror  in  peace.  He 
conquered  the  hearts  of  the  nation.  Few  living  men  have  seen  anything 
approaching  in  magnitude  and  enthusiasm  the  tribute  that  was  laid  at  the 
feet  of  Dewey.  The  laying  of  that  tribute  made  history,  and  it  was  recalled 
that  this  celebration  of  the  destruction  of  Spain's  naval  force  in  the  Pacific 
came  on  the  anniversary  of  the  wiping  out  of  the  Great  Spanish  Armada  on 
the  coast  of  Great  Britain  311  years  before.  It  was  also  recalled  that,  with 
the  exception  of  the  return  of  the  victorious  Santiago  fleet,  the  last  great  naval 
demonstration  in  this  harbor — in  1893 — was  in  honor  of  Spain  and  a  Spanish 
squadron,  and  was  to  celebrate  the  discovery  of  America  by  Spain's  Admiral, 
Christopher  Columbus. 

For  a  marine  show  there  could  not  have  been  finer  weather.  The  day 
dawned  bright  and  a  brisk  breeze  blew  all  day  long.  Clouds  scurried  over 
the  sky,  and  one  of  these  brought  a  slight  shower,  just  after  the  parade 
started,  and  as  Dewey's  flagshin  swept  up  past  the  Battery  a  brilliant  rainbow 


MAGNIFICENT  WELCOME  TO   DEWEY.  529 

spanned  the  North  River  from  shore  to  shore.  Thousands  saw  the  refulgent 
spectacle  in  the  sky,  declared  it  was  "  Dewey  luck,"  and  rejoiced  that  the 
Admiral  was  sailing  to  the  great  review  literally  beneath  a  rainbow  of  promise 

Tugging  on  a  flood  tide  at  their  anchor  chains,  as  though  eager  to  be 
free,  the  great  war  ships  that  were  to  compose  Dewey's  triumphal  pageant 
were  ready  early  in  the  day.  From  stem  to  stern,  from  water  line  to  top- 
mast, every  one  glistened  in  the  morning  sun.  While  perhaps  150,000  persons 
were  embarking  at  the  different  docks,  the  Mayor  and  his  party  went  down 
the  bay  on  the  Sandy  Hook  to  give  the  Admiral  his  official  welcome.  The 
Mayor  called  on  the  Admiral,  strictly  observing  naval  etiquette.  The 
Admiral  returned  the  call  of  the  Mayor  and  met  most  of  the  city's  guests 
aboard  the  Sandy  Hook. 

The  whole  expanse  of  the  upper  bay  was  filled  by  high  noon  with  excur- 
sion boats  big  and  little,  yachts  of  every  size  and  description,  tugs,  barges, 
ferryboats,  and  indeed  craft  of  every  kind  that  could  float  or  go  by  steam. 
They  all  gathered  as  close  to  the  flagship  as  possible,  and  just  at  the  stroke 
of  twelve  shrieking  bedlam  broke  loose.  It  had  been  agreed  that  every 
vessel  that  had  a  whistle  should  blow  its  loudest  for  five  minutes.  Such  a 
noise  has  never  been  heard  before  in  the  harbor  of  New  York.  It  shook  the 
hills  and  rolled  far  inland.  When  this  subsided  all  the  sailors  went  to  dinner, 
and  quiet  reigned  in  the  fleet. 

Hundreds  of  Vessels  in  Line. 

After  that  there  was  great  scurrying  of  the  yachts  and  excursion  steamers 
to  get  into  line  in  their  respective  divisions.  This  was  difficult,  because 
the  number  of  vessels  that  had  brought  people  out  to  see  the  Admiral  was 
probably  double  that  of  the  number  that  participated  in  the  marine  pageant 
during  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  inauguration  of  Washington  in 
1889,  and  that  display  had  until  the  present  time  broken  the  record. 

They  were  shoved  and  ordered  into  line  much  as  a  drill  sergeant  bosses 
raw  recruits,  and  finally  Lieutenant  Commander  John  C.  Fremont,  who  had 
charge  of  the  arrangements,  got  things  to  the  satisfaction  of  himself  and 
Chief  Dewey. 

Thus  an  hour  passed.  Then  the  marines  were  seen  to  line  up  on  the 
quarter  decks  of  all  the  war  ships.  Sailors  ran  nimbly  about.  Signals 
flashed  up  and  down  the  fleet.  The  speed  balls  went  up.  Admiral  Dewey 
took  his  position  on  the  bridge  of  the  Olympia.  The  police  Patrol,  which 
was  to  lead  the  way,  started  ahead,  with  the  fireboats  New  York  and  Van 
Wyck  on  either  flank.  Then  the  Olympia  began  slowly  to  move,  followed  by 
the  cruiser  New  York,  also  slowly,  and  anchors  were  tripped  from  end  to  end 

34— D 


530  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO   DEWEY. 

of  the  fleet.  The  Sandy  Hook  stood  alongside  the  Olympia,  escorting  her 
up  the  river. 

The  fleet  was  underway.  It  was  an  inspiring  sight.  The  Olympia,  flying 
the  Admiral's  flag,  led,  and  those  mighty  floating  fortresses,  the  New  York, 
the  Indiana,  the  Massachusetts,  the  Brooklyn,  and  the  Texas,  followed  in 
single  file.  Then  the  training  ship  Lancaster,  the  Dolphin  and  the  Scorpion 
came  along,  and  Admiral  Howison's  flagship,  the  Chicago,  brought  up  the 
rear  of  the  naval  vessels. 

This  part  of  the  parade  was  really  a  naval  pageant  of  the  war  with  Spain. 
First,  the  Olympia,  with  her  glorious  record  at  Manila.  Then  the  New  York, 
the  flagship  of  Rear  Admiral  Sampson  in  Cuban  and  Porto  Rican  waters. 
She  had  figured  in  a  dozen  bombardments  and  was  in  at  the  death  when  the 
Cristobal  Colon  surrendered.  The  Indiana  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet.  The  Massachusetts  was  on  the  Santiago 
blockade,  and  was  the  flagship  of  Captain  (now  Rear  Admiral)  Higginson  at 
Porto  Rico.  The  Texas  won  honors  at  Santiago  and  Guantanamo.  The 
Brooklyn  was  Admiral  Schley's  flagship  at  the  battle  of  Santiago.  The 
Dolphin  was  on  blockading  duty.  The  Scorpion  fought  as  viciously  as  the 
insect  whose  name  she  bears. 

Grand  Array  of  Torpedo  Boats. 

Of  the  torpedo  boats,  the  Dupont,  the  Porter  and  the  Winslow  all  figured 
in  the  war.  The  Winslow,  under  Lieutenant  Bernadou,  was  all  shot  to  pieces 
by  masked  batteries  at  Cardenas  and  five  of  her  crew  were  killed.  The 
Porter,  under  Lieutenant  Commander  Fremont,  went  to  Porto  Rico  with 
Sampson,  where  she  narrowly  escaped  destruction  by  a  Spanish  battery  while 
waiting  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  to  torpedo  Spanish  ships.  Then,  in  the 
revenue  division,  was  the  cutter  Manning,  that,  transformed  into  a  cruiser, 
bombarded  Cardenas  in  reprisal  for  the  damage  to  the  Winslow.  Indeed,  one 
could  not  look  anywhere  up  and  down  the  line  of  stately  ships  without  hav- 
ing memories  of  the  conflict  with  Spain  awakened  by  some  one  of  them. 

Naval  officers  who  figured  in  the  war  were  present,  though  for  the  most 
part  as  spectators.  Admiral  Sampson  and  Captain  Chadwick,  of  the  New 
York,  are  the  only  commanding  officers  in  the  North  Atlantic  squadron  who 
hold  the  same  positions  that  they  held  in  1898.  But  many  were  afloat  yes- 
terday as  sightseers  who  had  distinguished  themselves.  There  were  Dewey's 
captains,  Wildes,  Wood,  Dyer,  Coghlan  and  Walker,  and  also  Captain  Hodg- 
son, of  the  revenue  service.  There  were  Rear  Admiral  Philip,  who  had  com- 
manded the  Texas  as  captain,  Rear  Admiral  Higginson,  who  had  commanded 
the  Massachusetts,  also  as  captain,  and  Rear  Admiral  Schiey,  who  was  second 
in  command  in  the  naval  campaign  on  the  south  side  of  Cuba. 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO   DEWEY.  531 

Past  Governer's  Island  swept  the  Olympia  and  the  admiral's  salute  rang 
out  seventeen  guns  in  quick  succession.  The  Olympia  answed  with  the  salute 
for  a  major  general,  and  then  stood  close  in  shore  on  the  New  York  side. 

If  Admiral  Dewey  had  been  surprised  by  his  welcome  afloat  he  must 
have  been  astounded  at  that  which  was  sent  to  him  from  ashore.  No  one  can 
adequately  describe  the  crowds  that  flocked  to  the  water's  edge  or  gained 
points  of  vantage  on  the  roofs  of  sky-scrapers  and  in  every  available  space 
from  which  the  river  was  visible.  The  Battery  was  a  solid  mass  of  humanity. 
Three  hundred  policemen  were  kept  busy  preventing  the  crowd  from  push- 
ing those  on  the  sea  wall  into  the  water.  Men  and  boys  climbed  trees  and 
waited  patiently  for  hours.  All  the  hills  north  of  Hoboken  were  black  with 
spectators.  Riverside  Park  was  simply  a  slope  of  human  beings.  If  it  seemed 
to  the  spectator  that  a  city  full  of  people  had  gone  aboard  of  the  craft  in  the 
harbor,  then  a  country  full  of  people  had  surely  remained  ashore  and  crowded 
the  vast  amphitheatre  made  np  of  the  housetops  and  hillsides. 

It  was  probably  to  afford  the  greater  crowd  of 4 land  spectators  as  fair  a 
view  of  him  as  possible  that  led  the  thoughtful  admiral  to  carry  his  flagship 
well  in  toward  the  New  York  docks.  He  ran  so  near  at  times  that  a  biscuit 
might  have  been  tossed  from  pierhead  to  quarterdeck,  and  everybody  shouted 
wildly  as  the  Olympia  swept  by  on  her  stately  way. 

National  Salute  in  Honor  of  Grant. 

Receiving  the  salute  from  the  Portsmouth,  of  the  New  Jersey  Naval 
Reserve,  anchored  off  Fifty-ninth  street,  the  Olympia  continued  on  past  the 
floats  Peace  and  Victory,  and  with  gradually  lessening  speed  rounded  the 
nautical  schoolship  St.  Mary's,  the  stake  boat.  Around  she  went,  and  those 
overworked  forward  six-pounders  of  hers  sounded  the  national  salute  of 
twenty-one  guns  in  honor  of  General  Grant  as  the  majestic  tomb  of  the  dead 
soldier  loomed  up  on  her  port  bow. 

The  Olympia,  still  escorted  by  the  Sandy  Hook,  dropped  anchor  just 
below  the  float  "  Victory"  amid  a  deafening  din  of  whistles,  broken  every  few 
seconds  by  the  roar  of  guns.  Following  her  in  the  regular  order  came  the 
vessels  of  the  naval  division,  each  one  dropping  anchor,  so  that  when  they  all 
swung  at  their  moorings  they  were  in  the  same  formation  that  they  had 
occupied  at  Tompkinsville. 

Then  came  the  review  of  yachts  and  excursion  boats.  The  whole  river 
by  this  time  was  in  a  haze  of  smoke.  Looming  up  through  the  hazy  air  was 
a  wilderness  of  masts  and  smokestacks  and  fighting  tops  as  far  as  the  strongest 
glass  could  carry  the  vision.  The  yachts,  under  command  of  Commodore 
J.  Pierpont  Morgan  on  the  Corsair,  with  Sir  Thomas  Lipton's  Erin  at  the 


532  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO   DEWEY. 

post  of  honor,  leading  the  other  column,  made  a  splendid  showing.  As  they 
went  by  the  Olympia  the  colors  were  dipped  and  the  guests  on  board  cheered 
while  the  admiral  acknowledged  the  salutation  by  uncovering. 

Three  generations  of  war  ships  were  represented.  There  were  the  old 
sailing  ships,  the  Portsmouth  and  the  St.  Mary's,  whose  names  recall  the 
early  days  of  American  seamanship.  Next  in  chronological  order  comes  the 
old  steam  frigate  Lancaster,  a  vessel  regarded  as  formidable  not  so  many 
years  ago,  but  now  in  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf  of  her  existence,  and  relegated 
to  the  apprentice  training  service.  Last  and  best  were  the  ships  of  the  new 
navy,  the  steel  clad  fleet  whose  guns  made  such  a  bloody  reprisal  for  that 
tragedy  in  Havana  harbor. 

Right  grandly  they  all  showed,  and  grand  was  the  welcome  they  received. 
The  tumult  that  arose  when  the  Olympia  tripped  anchor  and  stood  up  stream, 
followed  at  faithfully  kept  intervals  by  battleships  and  cruisers,  grew  wilder 
as  the  imposing  array  neared  the  city.  Around  that  fleet  clung  memories  of 
many  valiant  deeds  ;  of  Manila,  Santiago,  Cardenas;  and  as  it  came  sweeping 

up  the  bay  Liberty, 

Grave  mother  of  majestic  works, 
From  her  isle  altar  looking  down, 

seemed  to  lift  her  torch  still  higher  in  honor  of  the  brave  array — the  ships 
and  the  gallant  sailors  who  man  them,  the  immortal  admiral  and  his  devoted 
followers. 

Formal  Welcome  by  the  Mayor. 

At  the  formal  welcome  to  the  Admiral,  Mayor  Van  Wyck  made  the  fol- 
lowing address : 

"Admiral  Dewey,"  he  said,  "with  pleasure,  and  by  the  direction  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  I  meet  you  at  her  magnificent  gateway  to  extend  to  you 
in  her  name  and  of  her  million  visitors,  leading  citizens  of  forty-five  States, 
representing  almost  every  hamlet  in  the  nation,  a  most  cordial  welcome,  con- 
gratulating you  upon  being  restored  to  family  and  home. 

"A  loving  and  grateful  nation  is  gladdened  by  your  safe  return  from  the 
most  remarkable  voyage  of  history,  so  far  reaching  in  its  results  that  the 
clearest  mind  cannot  yet  penetrate  the  distance.  It  has  already  softened  the 
voices  of  other  nations  in  speaking  of  ours,  changed  permanently  the  map  of 
the  world,  enlarged  the  field  of  American  pride  and  completed  the  circle  of 
empire  in  its  western  course. 

"Your  courage,  skill  and  wisdom,  exhibited  in  a  single  naval  engage- 
ment of  a  few  hours,  brought  victory  to  your  country's  arms,  and  then  you 
dealt  with  your  country's  new  relations  to  the  world  with  the  judgment  of  a 
trained  diplomat.  By  common  consent  you  have  been  declared  warrior  and 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO    DEWEY.  533 

statesman — one  who  wears  the  military  uniform  until  the  enemy  surrenders 
and  then  dons  the  habit  of  the  diplomat. 

"  The  greatest  reception  awaits  you  that  was  ever  tendered  military  or 
civil  hero.  Such  an  outpouring  of  the  people  was  never  dreamed  of  before. 
Never  has  the  heart  of  America  turned  with  such  perfect  accord  and  trusting 
confidence  to  one  of  her  sons  as  it  does  toward  you.  I  place  at  your  disposal 
the  freedom  and  unlimited  hospitality  of  the  city  of  New  York." 

Admiral  Dewey  said,  looking  at  the  Mayor's  stenographer:  "  You're  not 
going  to  take  down  what  I  say,  are  you,  Mr.  Mayor  ?  I  never  could  make  a 
speech." 

Mayor  Van  Wyck  smiled,  and  Mr.  Harvey  went  on  making  his  notes. 

"  Mr.  Mayor  and  gentlemen,"  said  the  Admiral,  4<  of  course  it  would  be 
needless  for  me  to  attempt  to  make  a  speech,  but  my  heart  appreciates  all 
that  you  have  said.  How  it  is  that  you  have  overrated  my  work  I  cannot 
understand. 

"  It  is  beyond  anything  I  can  conceive  of  why  there  should  be  such  an 
uprising  of  the  country.  I  simply  did  what  any  captain  in  the  service  would 
have  done." 

"  Admiral,"  said  the  Mayor,  "  no  tongue  can  ever  utter  or  pen  write  an 
over-estimate  of  what  you  did  for  your  country." 

Delighted  with  the  Badge. 

Admiral  Dewey  smiled,  and  his  cheeks  flushed  with  proud  color  under 
the  bronzed  skin.  He  shook  the  hand  of  the  Mayor,  who  then  reached  into 
a  pocket  and  drew  out  a  medal  of  honor  which  the  city  voted  to  the  hero  of 
the  war  with  Spain,  saying : 

"  The  city  of  New  York  had  made,  to  commemorate  this  reception  to 
you,  the  hero  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  a  badge,  a  fac  simile  of  which 
they  desire  I  should  present  to  you  in  commemoration  of  the  event." 

"  How  magnificent !"  exclaimed  the  Admiral,  taking  the  medal ;  "  how 
beautiful !  It's  splendid." 

Then  he  called  for  his  Chinese  servant  and  passed  to  him  the  medal. 
"  Pin  it  on,  sir,"  he  said  to  the  Chinese ;  "  pin  it  on  so  it  won't  drop  off" 

At  night,  after  the  naval  parade,  all  of  Greater  New  York  was  literally 
a  blaze  of  pyrotechnics.  Bursting  bombs  threw  spangles  of  fire,  and  hissing 
rockets  made  fiery  serpents  in  the  air  in  all  the  five  boroughs.  The  fleet  of 
war  ships  remained  at  anchor  off  Grant's  Tomb,  and  they  were  brilliantly 
illuminated,  each  ship  forming  a  silhouette  of  fire  against  the  sky.  Such  a 
gorgeous  night  pageant  had  never  been  attempted,  and  it  was  a  success. 

The  fireworks  afloat  off  Grant's  Tomb  and  Ward's  Island,  the  display 


534  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO   DEWEX 

finally  commingling  in  a  grand  climax  off  the  Battery,  w^ile  all  the  islands 
in  the  bay  blazed  with  scenic  splendors,  was  a  gorgeous  close  to  the  fir^t 
stage  in  New  York's  welcome  to  Admiral  Dewey. 

At  night  the  city  was  given  over  to  merry-making.  Fashionable  throngs 
filled  the  principal  restaurants,  drinking  standing  toasts,  with  clinking  glasses, 
while  bands  and  orchestras  played  inspiring  martial  airs.  At  the  theatres  all, 
patriotic  or  timely  "  lines  "  interpolated  for  the  occasion  were  received  with 
tremendous  applause.  Fifth  Avenue,  at  Madison  Square,  was  a  seething 
mass  of  light-hearted  people,  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  roystering 
youngsters  and  jostling  students. 

Great  as  was  the  naval  welcome  in  honor  of  the  renowned  Admiral,  the 
parade  through  the  streets  of  New  York  on  September  3Oth  was  a  more 
imposing  demonstration,  although  it  could  not  have  exceeded  the  enthusiasm 
shown  on  the  previous  day. 

An  Ovation  without  Parallel. 

From  the  moment  when,  at  half-past  eight  in  the  morning,  the  Admiral 
stepped  from  the  police  boat  Patrol,  which  brought  him  from  the  Olympia  to 
the  Battery,  until  at  six  in  the  evening,  when  he  stepped  from  his  carriage 
into  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  he  received  a  continuous  popular  ovation  such  as 
has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  few  other  men  in  the  history  of  the  world.  General 
Miles,  in  fact,  ranked  the  spectacle  with  the  memorable  demonstration  at 
the  time  of  Queen  Victoria's  Jubilee.  In  some  points  of  interest,  indeed,  it 
outranked  that  wonderful  celebration. 

We  have  said  that  Dewey  received  an  ovation.  It  was  really  a  triumph. 
For  the  Romans,  from  whom  we  get  both  words,  and  most  of  our  ideas,  made 
a  distinction  between  a  triumph  and  an  ovation.  The  former  was  given  to  a 
General  who  had  achieved  the  highest  success ;  the  latter  to  a  General  who 
was  deserving  of  great  honor,  but  fell  short  of  overwhelming  victory. 

The  old  Roman  conqueror,  with  a  wreath  of  laurel  on  his  brow,  entered 
Rome  on  his  day  of  triumph  through  a  gate  or  arch.  Seated  in  a  chariot 
drawn  by  four  horses,  preceded  by  his  captives,  and  followed  by  his  officers 
and  soldiers,  he  passed  through  the  city  amid  the  plaudits  of  her  inhabitants. 
So  Admiral  Dewey  had  his  day  of  triumph.  The  old  Roman  custom  was 
closely  followed.  The  Admiral  rode  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  four  horses. 
There  was  no  wreath  on  his  brow,  but  sculptured  figures  of  women  with  out- 
stretched arms  held  wreaths  of  laurel  above  his  head  as  he  moved  down  Fifth 
Avenue,  the  Via  Sacra  of  New  York.  He  was  preceded  by  no  captives,  but 
was  attended  by  his  officers  and  men  and  followed  by  25,000  soldiers  from  all 
parts  of  the  country. 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO    DEWEY.  535 

Then,  as  in  Rome,  there  was  an  arch  of  triumph.  This,  however,  was 
not  placed  at  the  start  of  the  procession,  but  near  its  finish.  And,  strange  to 
say,  its  back  was  turned  on  the  Admiral.  Its  face  is  towards  the  sea,  as  it 
should  be;  but  the  line  of  procession  moved  not  from  the  Battery,  as  it  should, 
but  from  Grant's  Tomb,  so  that  the  Admiral  appreciated  the  beautiful  arch 
erected  in  his  honor  from  the  rear.  When  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  de  1'etoile 
in  Paris  was  erected  to  celebrate  the  victories  of  Napoleon  no  one  was  per- 
mitted to  pass  through  it  until  the  Emperor  himself  had  done  so. 

As  on  the  preceding  day,  the  weather  was  almost  perfect,  and  the  city 
gave  herself  up  entirely  to  the  celebration.  It  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  from 
early  morning  until  late  at  night.  The  Admiral  himself  was  up  at  five  o'clock 
and  personally  inspected  his  men,  to  see  that  they  were  in  proper  trim  for  the 
great  occasion.  At  seven  the  police  boat  Patrol  approached,  bearing  the  spe- 
cial committee  of  escort.  An  hour  and  a  half  later,  and  the  Admiral  landed  at 
the  Battery,  where  another  committee  and  a  crowd  awaited  him.  Then  he 
was  driven  to  the  City  Hall,  where  he  arrived,  as  usual,  ahead  of  time.  Here 
the  Mayor,  in  the  longest  speech  he  ever  made,  but  short  for  all  that,  pre- 
sented him,  in  the  name  of  the  city,  with  a  loving  cup  of  eighteen  karats  gold, 
thirteen  inches  high.  The  design  is  Romanesque — thus  again  the  Roman 
type  appeared. 

Children  Sing  Patriotic  Songs. 

This  ceremony  was  quickly  over,  and  the  Admiral  was  taken  away  before 
the  1800  children  who  had  been  selected  to  sing  a  welcome  to  the  hero  at  this 
place  appeared.  The  children  were  almost  broken-hearted  when  they  learned 
that  the  Admiral  had  left,  but  they  sang  their  songs  to  the  crowd  that 
remained. 

From  the  City  Hall  the  Admiral  and  the  other  guests  of  the  city  and 
members  of  the  Committee  of  Reception  were  driven  to  the  foot  of  Warren 
street,  where  they  boarded  the  steamer  Sandy  Hook,  which  took  them  to  the 
foot  of  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- third  street,  where  a  landing  was  made.  An 
elaborate  lunch  was  served  on  the  boat.  At  the  pier  there  was  another  big 
crowd,  which  had  been  waiting  for  hours  in  order  to  see  Dewey.  Here  car- 
riages were  in  waiting,  in  which  the  Admiral  and  the  other  distinguished 
guests  rode  to  the  reviewing  stand  at  Madison  Square.  The  carriages  took 
their  proper  place  in  the  line  of  march,  and,  wonderful  to  relate,  the  proces- 
sion started  on  time. 

Then  began  the  most  brilliant  land  parade  ever  seen  on  this  continent. 
While  it  lacked  the  varied  beauty  and  picturesqueness  of  the  naval  pageant  of 
the  day  before,  it  was  a  spectacle  of  stupendous  size  and  unequaled  splendor. 


536  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO    DEWEY. 

The  spectacle  was  made  up  of  the  parade  itself  and  the  crowd  that  witnessed 
it  and  the  streets  through  which  it  moved.  The  three  elements  of  interest 
cannot  be  separated  in  any  description  of  the  event. 

There  have  been  longer  processions  than  this  in  New  York.  The  Sound 
Money  parade  of  1896  was  nearly  four  times  as  long.  On  other  occasions 
the  decorations  have  been  as  handsome.  But  the  quality  of  this  procession 
was  unrivaled,  and  the  decorations  made  the  line  of  march  a  blaze  of  color, 
while  the  crowd  was  simply  beyond  computation.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to 
say  that  never  before  were  so  many  persons  packed  into  the  same  amount  of 
space.  From  Grant's  Tomb  to  the  Washington  Arch,  a  distance  of  seven 
miles  by  the  route  of  the  parade,  there  was  almost  an  unbroken  procession  of 
stands  for  spectators,  and  every  one  of  these  was  filled  to  overflowing. 

People  viewed  the  pageant  from  house  tops.  Every  window  was  occu- 
pied, while  on  each  cross  street  and  along  the  sidewalks  every  inch  of  stand- 
ing room  was  at  a  premium.  It  was  against  the  regulations  for  trucks  and 
carriages  to  stand  in  the  cross  streets  commanding  a  view  of  the  procession, 
but  they  did  so  in  spite  of  the  police,  and  afforded  good  places  for  thousands 
to  view  the  spectacle.  After  the  parade  fully  a  million  boxes  and  barrels 
littered  Fifth  avenue.  These  had  been  sold  by  boys  at  25  to  50  cents 
apiece,  and  a  million  persons  had  stood  on  them.  There  was  not  a  single 
break  in  the  crowd.  Nowhere  was  there  a  sign  of  lagging  interest.  The 
crowd  came  hours  before  the  procession  started,  and  it  stayed  until  the  last 
man  passed. 

Unbounded  Enthusiasm  for  the  Admiral. 

The  crowd  was  not  only  immense  in  numbers,  but  immense  in  enthusi- 
asm. The  people  came  with  flags  and  badges,  and  they  shouted  themselves 
hoarse  as  Dewey  and  other  popular  favorites  appeared.  Nothing  daunted 
their  spirit,  and  even  their  good  nature  rose  triumphant  over  the  various 
efforts  of  the  police  to  keep  them  back.  On  one  house  top  in  Fifth  avenue 
several  men  were  furnished  with  bombs,  which  they  exploded  when  Dewey 
passed.  From  the  roof  of  a  Fifth  avenue  house  a  man  sent  up  several 
kites  high  in  the  air.  These  kites  were  of  various  shapes.  One  spelled 
"Welcome"  in  colossal  letters;  another  represented  the  American  flag. 

From  the  Waldorf-Astoria  down  to  the  Dewey  Arch  the  spectacle 
reached  the  very  summit  of  its  interest,  for  here  started  the  colonnades, 
reaching  to  the  arch,  and  making  a  part  of  its  artistic  whole.  From  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  where  Dewey's  family  watched  the  parade,  the  scene  fairly 
baffles  any  skill  at  description.  At  Forty-second  street,  where  the  huge 
reservoir,  about  to  be  removed,  was  covered  with  stands,  there  was  another 
scene  of  striking  interest. 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO   DEWEY.  537 

At  Central  Park,  west  from  Seventy-second  street,  was  a  stand  on  which 
2000  or  3000  school  children  were  seated,  dressed  in  garments  that  made  a 
field  of  blue,  on  which  Dewey's  name  in  white  appeared,  a  living  sign,  a 
moving  picture,  that  so  excited  the  Admiral  that  he  stopped  his  carriage  in 
order  to  enjoy  it  longer.  The  children  sang  as  he  waited. 

The  Admiral  and  the  official  guests  left  the  procession  at  the  reviewing 
stand  at  the  Worth  Monument.  Here,  with  the  structure  of  stone  erected  in 
memory  of  the  hero  of  the  Mexican  War  behind  him,  with  the  statue  of 
Farragut,  under  whom  Dewey  saw  service  in  the  Civil  War,  facing  him,  and 
with  the  splendid  arch  erected  in  his  own  honor  on  his  right,  the  Admiral 
viewed  the  parade  i~s  it  passed  before  him. 

What  enthusiasm  was  not  exhausted  in  the  demonstration  over  Dewey 
was  given  to  Rear  Admiral  Schley  and  Governor  Roosevelt.  The  latter  made 
a  striking  appearance  on  his  horse  at  the  head  of  the  New  York  troops. 
Governor  Stone  also  made  a  fine  appearance  at  the  head  of  the  Pennsylvania 
regiments,  and  was  warmly  received.  Of  all  the  organizations  in  the  parade 
the  "  Fighting  Tenth  "  Pennsylvania,  that  did  hard  service  in  the  Philippines/ 
received  the  heartiest  welcome. 

Governors  and  Troops  from  Many  States. 

The  line  of  parade  extended  from  Grant's  Tomb,  at  Claremont,  down  River- 
side Drive  to  Seventy-second  street,  through  Seventy-second  street  to  Central 
Park  West,  through  Central  Park  West  to  Fifty- ninth  street,  through  Fifty- 
ninth  street  to  Fifth  avenue,  and  down  Fifth  avenue  to  the  south  side  of  Wash- 
ington Square. 

The  procession  consisted  of  mounted  police,  commanded  by  Chief  Devery ; 
sailors  from  the  Olympia  and  the  vessels  of  Admiral  Sampson's  fleet,  a  long 
line  of  carriages  carrying  Admiral  Dewey  and  other  guests  and  their  escorts, 
the  West  Point  Cadets,  several  battalions  of  regular  army,  under  command 
of  Colonel  John  I.  Rodgers ;  the  entire  National  Guard  of  New  York,  five 
regiments  from  Pennsylvania,  and  troops  from  New  Jersey,  Georgia,  Connecti- 
cut, Maryland,  South  Carolina,  New  Hampshire,  North  Carolina,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Mississippi,  Maine,  Florida  and  Texas,  besides  a  number  of  unarmed  old 
veterans. 

There  were  about  30,000  men  in  the  line,  including  the  eighty-six  bands, 
which  alone  counted  over  3300  men.  Sousa's  great  band,  augmented  for  the 
occasion,  headed  the  procession  after  the  mounted  police.  There  were  1700 
men  in  the  naval  brigade,  nearly  1800  in  the  regular  army  and  cadet  division, 
nearly  IO,OOO  in  the  New  York  division,  2300  in  the  Pennsylvania,  and  7500 
in  the  troops  from  other  States.  The  Governors  of  most  of  the  States  rode  at 
the  head  of  their  troops 


538  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO    DEWEY. 

Another  man  who  was  made  a  hero  of  by  the  millions  of  people  witness- 
ing the  parade  was  Rear  Admiral  Schley,  who,  riding  in  one  of  the  last  car- 
riages in  the  vehicle  division,  was  almost  as  enthusiastically  cheered  as  was 
Dewey.  General  Miles,  too,  was  warmly  applauded,  while  Governor  Roose- 
velt received  a  perfect  ovation  all  along  the  line.  Outside  of  these  individual 
attractions,  the  other  leading  features  of  the  parade  were  Sousa's  Band  and 
the  Tenth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania.  The  spectators  almost  went  frantic 
over  the  Pennsylvania  heroes,  and  the  latter  must  have  felt  elated  over  their 
magnificent  reception. 

Arriving  finally  at  the  reviewing  stand  in  front  of  the  mammoth  arch  at 
Madison  Square,  Dewey  seemed  bewildered  at  the  demonstration  which  awaited 
him  there.  Here  were  erected  huge  stands  holding  over  25,000  people,  and 
when  they  all  broke  out  into  a  cheer  it  was  like  the  roar  of  a  burning  volcano- 
Dewey  and  the  Mayor  quickly  left  their  carriage  and  were  followed  in  rapid 
succession  by  the  other  dignitaries,  it  taking  some  little  time  before  all  were 
unloaded.  All  the  while  the  people  were  cheering,  and  one  bouquet  or  floral 
piece  after  another  was  sent  to  the  stand,  until  the  Admiral  was  almost  hidden 
from  view  behind  flowers. 

A  Scene  of  Wildest  Excitement. 

Then  the  signal  was  given,  bugles  sounded  all  along  the  line,  and  then 
upon  entering  into  the  Court  of  Honor,  Sousa's  immense  band  of  over  100 
pieces,  leading  the  procession,  thundered  out  its  leade/s  own  favorite  compo- 
sition, "  The  Stars  and  Stripes,"  and  the  people  shrieked  so  loud  as  to  almost 
drown  the  music.  Sousa  walked  behind  a  drum  major  to  the  right  with  a 
color  bearer  on  either  side,  and  as  he  came  directly  in  front  of  the  reviewing 
stand  gave  the  Admiral  a  most  dignified  salute.  Dewey  smiled  and  lifted  his 
chapeau,  bowing  several  times. 

Dewey  was  saluting  with  his  hand  touching  the  point  of  his  chapeau, 
only  having  bared  his  head  twice  up  to  the  time  Governor  Roosevelt  on  a 
spanking  bay  at  the  head  of  the  National  Guard  of  New  York,  came  along, 
once  for  Sousa  and  the  other  time  when  an  American  flag  was  carried  by. 

The  crowds  announced  Roosevelt's  coming  by  tremendous  cheering. 
When  the  Governor  reached  the  stand,  sitting  very  erect  on  his  horse  and 
with  a  stern  look  on  his  face,  he  raised  his  hat  with  his  right  hand,  crossed  his 
breast  and  held  the  silken  tile  there  until  he  was  far  past.  Dewey  kept  his 
head  bared  as  long  as  Roosevelt  had  his  hat  off. 

The  various  Governors  on  horseback  leading  the  militia  of  their  respec- 
tive States  all  saluted  by  lifting  their  hats,  and  the  Admiral  responded  like- 
wise. As  the  afternoon  wore  on  the  atmosphere  became  very  chilly  and 
Dewey  covered  his  glittering  uniform  by  putting  on  a  shoulder  cape. 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO    DEWEY.  530 

The  coming  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  was  announced  by  wild  cheering 
up  the  avenue,  the  demonstration  being  in  honor  of  the  brave  boys  of  the  now 
celebrated  Tenth  Regiment.  Dewey  himself  became  nervous  from  impatience 
or  enthusiasm  as  he  heard  the  applause,  and  was  waiting  for  the  Tenth  to  pass 
in  review.  When  finally  the  Western  Pennsylvania  boys,  dressed  in  the  can- 
vas uniforms  they  wore  while  on  duty  in  the  Philippines,  came  along,  Dewey 
took  off  his  chapeau  and  smilingly  bowed  again  and  again  to  each  column  as 
it  filed  by — something  he  had  not  done  for  any  other  troops. 

The  people  in  the  stands  stood  up  on  their  chairs,  frantically  waved  hand- 
kerchiefs and  flags  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  The  boys  of  the 
Tenth  bore  their  honors  modestly  and  marched  better  and  looked  more  like 
real  soldiers  than  any  regiment  that  passed  in  review. 

Brilliant  Close  of  the  Festivities. 

The  bands  heading  the  Southern  troops  nearly  all  played  "  My  Mary- 
land "  and  "  Dixie  "  as  they  passed  the  reviewing  stand,  much  to  the  delight 
of  the  spectators,  who  cheered  them  every  time. 

After  the  enthusiastic  veterans,  who  brought  up  the  rear,  had  passed 
through  the  arch,  the  review  was  declared  closed.  Several  hundred  blue 
coats  immediately  rushed  in  to  keep  the  avenue  clear  and  the  clattering  sound 
of  horse's  hoofs  announced  the  coming  of  Squadron  A  to  escort  the  Admiral 
to  the  Waldorf-Astoria.  The  carriages  followed,  and  after  Dewey  had  bowed 
with  bared  head  to  the  people  in  the  several  stands  and  shaken  hands  with 
many  people  who  pressed  forward  to  be  introduced,  the  line  of  carriages  was 
formed  and  the  procession  to  the  hotel  began.  After  dinner  Dewey,  who  felt 
fatigued,  declined  all  invitations  for  social  functions  in  his  honor  and  retired 
early  in  the  evening,  happy  over  the  two  days'  festivities  in  his  honor — the 
grandest  in  the  world's  history. 

The  popular  estimate  of  the  Admiral  and  his  men  was  aptly  expressed 
by  the  following  stanzas  in  one  of  our  daily  journals  : 

Here's  to  Dewey  of  Manilla 

And  every  mother's  son 
That  walked  the  bridge  or  stoked  the  coal 

Or  aimed  or  fired  a  gun. 

Here's  to  the  ships  that  carried  the  flag, 
And  here's  to  the  men  that  planned  'em. 

Cheers  for  the  engines  that  drove  the  fleet ; 
Hurrah  for  the  lads  that  manned  'em. 


540  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO    DEWEY. 

Here's  to  the  gunners  that  aimed  so  true ; 

God  bless  the  men  that  taught  'em. 
Here's  to  the  men  that  smashed  right  through; 

Hurrah  for  the  lads  that  fought  'em. 

Bitter  the  dregs  of  defeat  for  the  dead, 

But  those  Dagos — like  men— they  drunk  'em. 

Tears  for  the  ships  that  were  sunk  in  the  fight; 
Hurrah  for  the  lads  that  sunk  'em. 

Sword  Presented  to  the  Admiral. 

On  the  3d  of  October  there  was  another  great  demonstration  when  the 
sword  voted  by  Congress  to  Admiral  Dewey  was  presented  to  him  on  the 
steps  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 

Not  since  that  day  thirty-four  years  before,  when  historic  Pennsylvania 
avenue  echoed  to  the  marching  tramp  of  the  victorious  legions  of  the  North 
as  hour  after  hour  they  passed  in  review  before  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  has  any  President  been  the  agent  of  the  people  to  show  a  people's 
gratitude  to  a  naval  or  military  hero  until  the  day  when,  before  thousands  of 
spectators,  President  McKinley  made  the  presentation. 

At  the  White  House  the  President  and  the  members  of  his  Cabinet  were 
waiting  to  receive  the  guest  of  the  nation.  Mr.  McKinley  inquired  after  the 
health  of  his  guest,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  expressed  their  delight  at 
seeing  him  looking  so  well,  and  then  word  was  given  to  make  the  start. 

In  front  of  the  White  House  the  regulars  under  command  of  Major- 
General  Miles  and  a  brilliant  staff,  were  drawn  up  for  escort.  General  Miles 
rode  a  magnificent  gray  charger,  and  with  a  broad  yellow  sash  over  his  right 
shoulder,  looked  the  typical  commander-in-chief.  The  military  escort  was 
made  up  to  represent  every  arm  of  the  land  and  sea  forces  of  the  United 
States.  Following  the  General  and  his  staff  came  a  battalion  of  marines,  then 
the  men  of  the  Olympia,  a  light  and  heavy  battery  of  artillery,  and  three 
troops  of  cavalry.  Immediately  following  the  military  came  the  President 
and  Admiral  Dewey,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  the  former  captains  of  the 
Manila  fleet,  the  visiting  Governors  and  their  staffs,  the  rear  being  brought 
up  by  the  District  of  Columbia  militia. 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  troops  marching  down  that  broad  avenue, 
an  avenue  that  has  been  the  scene  of  so  many  processions  and  ceremonial 
occasions,  over  which  Presidents  have  been  driven  to  be  inaugurated,  over 
which  soldiers  and  veterans  have  marched,  along  which  a  Spanish  princess 
drove  when  she  was  the  nation's  guest,  and  along  which,  a  little  while  later, 


MAGNIFICENT    WELCOME   TO   DEWEY.  541 

a  Spanish  Minister  drove  when  there  was  nothing  left  to  the  United  States 
except  the  war  with  Spain. 

To  the  inspiration  of  the  music  of  their  bands  the  troops  marched  mag- 
nificently. There  is  no  finer  body  of  men  to  be  found  anywhere  than  the 
marines  of  the  American  navy,  and  as  they  marched  along  the  avenue,  their 
step  being  less  stiff  than  that  of  the  infantry  soldier,  and  yet  not  the  rolling 
gait  of  the  jack  tar,  there  was  round  after  round  of  applause. 

And  it  was  the  sailors  who  got  the  greatest  applause,  for  the  day  belonged 
to  the  navy,  and  the  men  who  made  the  world  respect  American  ships  and 
American  sailors  are  very  close  to  the  popular  heart.  The  battalion  from  the 
Olympia  swung  along  in  that  free-and-easy  gait  that  always  marks  the  sailor 
on  shore.  He  marches  as  if  he  enjoys  feeling  something  solid  beneath  him, 
and  yet  as  if  he  rather  missed  not  having  to  sway  with  the  swaying  ship 
beneath  him. 

The  Olympia's  men  had  their  Congressional  medals  pinned  to  their 
breasts,  and  the  sight  of  these  little  pieces  of  bronze  aroused  the  crowds  to 
greater  frenzy.  Following  them  came  the  artillery,  their  red  plumes  nodding 
in  the  gentle  breeze,  and  then  the  red  gave  place  to  yellow  as  the  cavalry  came 
sweeping  past  the  line,  stretching  nearly  the  full  width  of  the  widest  street  in 
the  United  States. 

Great  Public  Demoestration. 

Cheers  rent  the  air,  but  when  the  crowd  saw  a  carriage  containing  two 
men,  one  in  a  silk  hat,  who  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  and  the  other 
in  an  Admiral's  uniform,  who  looked  both  to  right  and  left,  whose  hat  was 
continually  off  his  head  and  who  at  times  stood  up  in  the  carriage  to  show  his 
ackowledgments  of  a  nation's  affection,  the  wildest  demonstrations  followed. 

The  plaza  of  the  east  front  of  the  Capitol  was  packed  when  the  procession 
arrived,  and  the  people  there  took  up  the  vocal  chorus. 

Hon.  John  D.  Long,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  made  the  presentation 
speech  as  follows : 

"  On  May  7,  1898,  this  cablegram  was  sent  you  from  Washington:  'The 
President,  in  the  name  of  the  American  people,  thanks  you  and  your  officers 
and  men  for  your  splendid  achievement  and  overwhelming  victory.  In  recog- 
nition, he  has  appointed  you  Acting  Rear-Admiral,  and  will  recommend  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  you  by  Congress  as  a  rcommendation  for  further  promotion.' 

"  In  these  few  words  what  a  volume  of  history  !  What  a  record  of  swift, 
high,  heroic  discharge  of  duty!  You  went;  you  saw;  you  conquered.  It 
seems  but  yesterday  that  the  republic,  full  of  anxiety,  strained  its  listening  ear 
to  catch  the  first  word  from  those  distant  islands  of  the  sea.  It  came  flashing 


542  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO   DEWEY. 

over  the  wires  that  May  morning  as  the  sun  burst  through  the  clouds,  and 
filled  every  heart  with  the  illumination  of  its  good  cheer.  In  the,  twinkling  of 
an  eye  your  name  was  on  every  lip ;  the  blessing  of  every  American  was  on 
your  head,  and  your  country  strode  instantly  forward,  a  mightier  power  among 
the  nations  of  the  world.  As  we  welcome  you  back  there  comes  back  also 
the  vivid  picture  of  that  time,  with  all  its  hopes  and  fears,  and  with  all  its 
swift  succeeding  triumph  and  glory. 

"  The  victory  of  Manila  Bay  gave  you  rank  with  the  most  distinguished 
naval  heroes  of  all  time.  Nor  was  your  merit  most  in  the  brilliant  victory 
which  you  achieved  in  a  battle  fought  with  the  utmost  gallantry  and  skill, 
waged  without  error,  and  crowned  with  overwhelming  success.  It  was  still 
more  in  the  nerve  with  which  you  sailed  from  Hong  Kong  to  Manila  harbor ; 
in  the  spirit  of  your  conception  of  attack;  in  your  high  commanding  confi- 
dence as  a  leader  who  had  weighed  every  risk  and  prepared  for  every  emer- 
gency, and  who  also  had  that  unfaltering  determination  to  win,  and  that  utter 
freedom  from  the  thought  or  possibility  of  swerving  from  his  purpose,  which 
are  the  very  assurance  of  victory. 

Tried  as  by  Fire. 

"  No  captain  ever  faced  a  more  crucial  test  than  when  that  morning, 
bearing  the  fate  and  the  honor  of  your  country  in  your  hand,  thousands  of 
miles  from  home,  with  every  foreign  port  in  the  world  shut  to  you,  nothing 
between  you  and  annihilation  but  the  thin  sheating  of  your  ships,  your  cannon 
and  your  devoted  officers  and  men,  you  moved  upon  the  enemy's  batteries 
on  shore  and  on  sea  with  unflinching  faith  and  nerve,  and,  before  the  sun  was 
half  way  up  in  the  heavens,  had  silenced  the  guns  of  the  foe,  sunk  the  hostile 
fleet,  demonstrated  the  supremacy  of  the  American  sea  power,  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  United  States  an  empire  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 

"  By  authorizing  the  presentation  of  this  sword  to  you  as  the  mark  of  its 
approval,  your  country  has  recognized,  therefore,  not  only  the  great  rich 
fruits  which,  even  before  returning  from  your  victory,  you  have  poured  into 
her  lap,  but  also  her  own  responsibility  to  discharge  the  great  trust  which  is 
thus  put  upon  her  and  fulfill  the  destiny  of  her  own  growth  and  of  the  empire 
that  is  now  her  charge.  It  is  a  new  demand  upon  all  the  resources  of  her 
conscience,  wisdom  and  courage.  It  is  a  work  in  the  speedy  and  beneficent 
consummation  of  which  she  is  entitled  to  the  cordial  help,  sympathy  and 
uplift  of  all  her  citizens,  not  the  faint-hearted  doubts  and  teasing  cavils  of  any 
of  them.  It  is  a  work  on  which  she  has  entered  in  the  interest  of  early  peace 
in  those  new  lands,  the  establishment  in  them  of  law  and  order,  the  security 
of  life  and  property,  and  the  American  standards  of  prosperity  and  home. 


MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO   DEWEY.  543 

"  Let  those  who  fear  remember  that,  though  her  children,  guided  by  you, 
took  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  dwelt  in  the  utmost  parts  of  the  sea,  even 
there  the  hand  of  our  fathers'  God  shall  lead  them,  and  His  right  hand  shall 
hold  them. 

"  It  is  my  good  fortune,  under  the  terms  of  the  enactment  of  Congress, 
to  have  the  honor  of  presenting  to  you  this  beautiful  sword.  If,  during  the 
many  coming  years,  which  I  trust  will  be  yours,  of  useful  service  to  your 
country,  it  shall  remain  sheathed  in  peace,  as  God  grant  it  may,  that  fact  will 
perhaps  be  due  more  than  to  anything  else  to  the  thoroughness  with  which 
you  have  already  done  its  work. 

Honored  by  All  His  Countrymen. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  return  across  the  sea  in  full  health  of  mind 
and  body  to  receive  it  here ;  here,  in  the  national  Capitol ;  here,  on  these  con- 
secrated steps,  where  Lincoln  stood;  here,  standing  between  the  statue  of  the 
first  President  of  the  United  States  and  him  who  is  its  living  President  to-day  ; 
here,  in  this  beautiful  city,  adorned  with  the  statues  of  its  statesmen  and 
heroes,  the  number  incomplete  until  your  own  is  added  ;  here,  amid  this  throng 
of  citizens,  who  are  only  a  type  of  the  millions  and  millions  more  who  are 
all  animated  by  the  same  spirit  of  affectionate  and  grateful  welcome.  I  cannot 
doubt  that  it  is  one  of  the  proudest  days  of  your  life,  and  I  know  that  it  is 
one  of  the  happiest  in  the  heart  of  each  one  of  your  fellow  countrymen 
wherever  they  are,  whether  on  the  continent  or  on  the  far-offislands  of  the  sea. 

"  Now,  following  the  authorization  of  Congress,  I  present  this  sword  of 
honor,  which  I  hold  in  my  hand — my  hand — rather  let  it  go  to  you  through 
the  hand  of  one  who,  in  his  youth,  also  periled  his  life  and  fought  for  his 
country  in  battle,  and  who  to-day  is  the  commander-in-chief  of  all  our  armies 
and  navies,  the  President  of  the  United  States." 

As  Secretary  Long  concluded  he  passed  the  sword  to  President  McKin. 
ley.  The  latter  rose  and  faced  the  Admiral.  Dewey  was  visibly  affected  and 
brushed  his  gloved  hands  across  his  eyes  before  standing  at  attention. 

The  President  said:  "Admiral  Dewey,  from  your  entrance  in  the  harbor 
of  New  York  with  your  gallant  crew  and  valiant  ship  the  demonstrations 
which  everywhere  have  greeted  you  reveal  the  public  esteem  of  your  heroic 
action  and  the  fulness  of  the  love  in  which  you  are  held  by  your  country. 

"  The  voice  of  the  nation  is  lifted  in  praise  and  gratitude  for  the  distin- 
guished and  memorable  services  you  have  rendered  the  country,  and  all  the 
people  give  you  affectionate  welcome  home,  in  which  I  join  with  all  my  heart. 
Your  victory  exalted  American  valor  and  extended  American  authority.  There 
was  no  flaw  in  your  victory;  there  will  be  no  faltering  in  maintaining  it.  It 


j44  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME  TO   DEWEY. 

gives  me  extreme  pleasure  and  great  honor  in  behalf  of  all  the  people  to  hand 
you  this  sword,  the  gift  of  the  nation  voted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States." 

The  President  handed  the  Admiral  the  sword,  with  a  deep  bow,  and 
there  was  a  roar  of  applause  as  Dewey  received  it.  The  crowd  was  hushed 
as  he  turned  to  reply. 

Admiral  Dewey  said  :  "  I  thank  you,  Mr.  President,  for  this  great  honor 
you  have  conferred  upon  me.  I  thank  the  Congress- for  what  it  has  done.  I 
thank  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  for  his  gracious  words.  I  thank  my  coun- 
trymen for  this  beautiful  gift  which  shall  be  an  heirloom  in  my  family  forever 
as  an  evidence  that  republics  are  not  ungrateful,  and  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Chair- 
man and  gentlemen  of  the  committee,  for  the  gracious,  cordial  and  kindly 
welcome  which  you  have  given  me  to  my  home." 

The  band  played  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  and  then  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons pronounced  the  benediction. 

There  was  the  usual  bustle  and  confusion  as  the  ceremonies  closed,  and 
then  the  crowd  re-arranged  itself,  a  broad  path  was  cleared  across  the  plaza 
and  Admiral  Dewey  stood  up  beside  the  President  to  review  the  parade. 

The  sword  blade  is  damascened,  with  the  inscription : 

"  The  gift  of  the  nation  to  Rear  Admiral  George  Dewey,  U.  S.  N.,  in 
memory  of  the  victory  at  Manila  Bay,  May  i,  1898." 

Great  Celebration  at  Montpelier. 

Admiral  Dewey  reached  New  York  October  loth,  on  his  way  to  Mont- 
pelier, Vermont.  From  the  time  the  special  train  left  the  Grand  Central  Sta- 
tion in  New  York  there  was  one  continuous  and  spontaneous  ovation  to  the 
hero  of  Manila.  All  stations,  even  where  it  was  known  the  train  would  not 
stop,  were  surrounded  with  enthusiastic  crowds,  and  between  stations  hun- 
dreds of  persons  lined  the  tracks,  feeling  amply  repaid  for  hours  of  waiting  by 
a  fleeting  glimpse  of  a  face  long  since  made  familiar,  through  countless 
pictures,  to  the  world. 

The  celebration  at  Montpelier  was  fixed  for  Thursday,  the  I2th.  Perfect 
weather,  a  vast  crowd  and  the  presence  of  Admiral  Dewey,  formed  a  combi- 
nation calculated  to  stir  the  staid  residents  of  this  section  almost  to  demons- 
trative enthusiasm.  For  two  days  the  throngs  had  been  arriving.  Dozens 
of  special  trains  were  run  on  all  the  railroads,  and  thousands  of  residents  of 
the  surrounding  country  came  in  vehicles  and  on  horseback.  Forty  thousand 
visitors  were  in  the  town  by  noon,  and,  as  this  represents  about  six  times 
its  ordinary  population,  the  crush  may  be  imagined. 

The  guard  of  honor  for  the  Admiral's  carriage  was  the  cadet  corps  of 


MAGNIFICENT  WELCOME  TO   DEWEY.  545 

Norwich  Academy,  where  Dewey  formerly  went  to  school.  All  along  the 
line  of  march  the  crowds  applauded,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  the 
Admiral  stood  uncovered  in  the  landau.  As  for  the  parade  itself,  it  was  a 
pretty  sight,  not  too  long  to  become  tiresome,  and  quite  long  enough  to 
furnish  plenty  of  music  and  a  satisfactory  spectacle.  Dewey  preceded  the 
procession  until  it  reached  the  reviewing  stand  in  front  of  the  State  House. 
There  he  left  the  carriage  and  entered  the  stand. 

As  he  escorted  the  Admiral  to  his  position  on  the  platform,  Governor 
Smith  took  out  of  his  pocket  the  beautiful  medal  purchased  by  the  State,  and 
made  by  Tiffany,  of  New  York,  and  pinned  it  upon  Dewey's  breast.  "  Now 
you're  it,"  was  all  the  presentation  speech  he  made.  Admiral  Dewey  must 
have  been  satisfied  with  both  the  medal  and  the  speech,  for  he  could  not  find 
a  word  to  say  in  reply.  But  when  he  reached  the  front  of  the  stand  his  misty 
eyes  and  twitching  mouth  gave  silent  utterance  to  the  feelings  of  a  swelling 
heart. 

The  Capitol  and  grounds  were  brilliantly  illuminated  in  the  evening,  and 
there  were  elaborate  fireworks,  but  the  great  feature  was  the  bonfire.  High 
up  on  the  precipitous  bluff  overlooking  the  town  had  been  built  a  pile  nearly 
one  hundred  feet  high.  It  was  constructed  of  wood,  with  barrels  of  pitch 
plentifully  distributed.  Once  thoroughly  ignited,  the  flame  shot  skyward 
hundreds  of  feet  and  illuminated  the  country  bright  as  day  for  miles  around. 
The  light  could  be  seen  over  fully  half  the  State,  and  was  designed  as  a  sig- 
nal that  Dewey  was  all  right. 

The  Admiral's  Birthplace. 

The  house  in  which  Dewey  was  born  has  attracted  great  attention  during 
the  day.  It  no  longer  belongs  to  the  Dewey  family,  and  its  enterprising  owner 
netted  a  neat  sum  by  charging  admission  to  sight-seers.  The  little  school- 
house  which  Dewey  attended  as  a  child  was  also  visited  by  thousands. 

On  Friday,  October  I3th,  Admiral  Dewey  was  welcomed  to  his  alma 
mater,  Norwich  University,  and  was  given  an  opportunity  to  lay  the  corner- 
stone of  an  enduring  monument  to  his  fame,  Dewey  Hall.  Incidentally 
he  received  a  new  title,  that  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  conferred  by  the  univer- 
sity. When  he  reached  Boston  in  the  evening  there  was  a  solid  jam  of 
people  in  and  about  the  station,  and  the  city  in  all  parts  was  beautifully 
decorated. 

It  was  10  o'clock  next  morning  when  the  Admiral  got  away  from  his 
hotel.  On  the  street  the  ovation  which  followed  him  was  most  enthusiastic. 
The  Mayor  and  the  Admiral's  aide  were  in  the  second  carriage,  the  first  being 
occupied  by  the  school  committee  delegation.  In  other  carriages  were  the 


546  MAGNIFICENT   WELCOME   TO    DEWEY. 

naval  officers  and  such  other  gentlemen  as  had  been  invited  to  accompany 
the  Admiral. 

The  party  proceeded  to  the  Common,  where  more  than  25,600  school 
children,  carrying  flags  and  guidons,  were  drawn  up  in  two  columns,  about 
1,500  feet  long  and  ten  to  twenty  deep.  The  children  sang  "  America "  as 
soon  as  the  carriages  arrived,  the  Municipal  Band  accompanying  them  and  the 
thousands  of  spectators  joining  in  the  chorus. 

At  the  last  verse  the  carriage  started  down  the  aisle  between  the  columns 
of  the  children,  and  the  singing  changed  to  cheers  and  waving  of  flags.  The 
band  played,  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  .the  carriages  returned  through 
the  aisles  and  then  passed  rapidly  out  into  Beacon  Street,  on  the  way  to  the 
City  Hall,  where  the  presentation  of  the  magnificently  jeweled  watch  on  behalf 
of  the  city  of  Boston  and  the  freedom  of  the  city  was  to  be  made.  The  en- 
thusiasm which  greeted  the  Admiral  upon  his  arrival  at  the  City  Hall  equaled 
that  which  he  received  on  the  Common.  His  carriage  drew  up  at  the  entrance 
to  the  City  Hall  at  10.34,  and  the  Admiral  at  once  ascended  the  stand  erected 
in  front  of  the  building,  which  was  decorated  in  bunting  and  evergreens. 

Boston's  Magnificent  Welcome. 

By  the  stand  at  City  Hall  280  trained  singers  from  the  Handel  and  Haydn 
Society  were  seated.  As  the  Admiral  and  his  party  appeared  upon  the  stand 
the  society  sang,  "  See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes,"  to  which  the  Admiral 
listened,  chapeau  in  hand,  and  at  the  close  of  which  he  stepped  forward  and 
acknowledged  the  reception  with  repeated  bows.  The  action  called  forth  a 
great  wave  of  cheers,  which  Mayor  Quincy,  arising,  checked  with  uplifted 
hand.  The  Mayor  then  delivered  the  address  of  presentation  to  the  distin- 
guished guest,  who  remained  seated,  at  the  Mayor's  suggestion.  In  his  address 
Mayor  Quincy  characterized  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay  as  "the  greatest  since 
Trafalgar." 

At  the  State  House  the  Admiral  and  Governor  Wolcott  and  staff  left  the 
line  and  took  up  a  position  on  the  State  House  steps,  where  they  remained 
while  the  parade  passed  in  review  on  its  way  to  the  Common,  where  the  colors 
carried  by  those  regiments  which  were  in  the  Spanish  War,  were  formally  sur- 
rendered to  the  State  with  impressive  ceremonies.  The  exercises  were  viewed 
by  Admiral  Dewey,  who,  with  Governor  Wolcott  and  staff",  was  escorted  to 
the  parade  ground  by  the  men  of  the  Olympia.  The  vast  mass  of  people 
assembled  on  the  historic  field  was  the  largest  that  Boston  residents  had  seen 
in  a  long  time.  Nothing  occurred  to  mar  the  success  of  the  popular  welcome 
extended  to  the  Hero  of  Manila,  all  classes  of  citizens  uniting  in  admiration 
of  his  patriotism  and  gallantry. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Progress  of  the  War  in  the  Philippines. 

;S  soon  as  the  heavy  rains  ceased  in  the  Philippines  the  American 
troops  resumed  military  operations.  Several  unimportant  skir- 
mishes signalized  the  opening  of  the  new  campaign.  At  Imus, 
Luzon,  on  October  3d,  General  Lawton  dispersed  the  insurgents, 
driving  them  to  the  westward.  The  purpose  of  the  rebels  was  to  cut  the 
communication  maintained  between  Bacoor  and  Imus  by  means  of  the  road 
between  those  places  at  a  point  between  Imus  and  the  east  bank  of  the  river. 
The  insurgents  had  trenches  along  the  west  bank  commanding  the  open 
spaces.  A  force  of  1500  rebels  attacked  Imus  and  600  proceeded  against 
Bacoor,  with  detachments  along  the  river. 

Colonel  Daggett's  force  spread  along  the  road  from  Bacoor  toward 
Imus  and  three  companies  of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  under  Captain  Hollis, 
were  thrown  out  from  Imus,  the  two  commands  forming  a  junction. 

The  entire  line  crossed  the  river  and  drove  the  Filipinos  from  their 
trenches  to  the  westward,  through  rice  fields  and  thickets.  The  marines, 
whose  services  were  tendered  by  Admiral  Watson,  crossed  the  river  near  the 
bay,  forming  a  part  of  the  line  of  advance.  Before  the  forward  movement  was 
begun  the  American  artillery  shelled  the  enemy's  position.  The  only  Ameri- 
can casualty  was  the  wounding  of  a  lieutenant  of  artillery. 

The  Enemy  Forced  Back. 

On  October  I3th,  General  Fred.  Grant  with  three  companies  of  the 
Fourth  Regiment,  two  companies  of  the  Fourteenth  and  several  scouts, 
crossed  the  Imus  river  and  formed  a  line  extending  from  Binacayan  to  Ma- 
nila Bay.  The  troops  then  moved  toward  Bacoor,  forcing  the  enemy  to  the 
shore  of  the  bay.  Riley's  battery  enfiladed  the  rebels  from  the  Bacoor  road. 
The  sharpest  part  of  the  skirmish  took  place  within  close  range  of  the  Bina- 
cayan church. 

The  entire  country  over  which  the  troops  operated  consists  of  swamps, 
rice  fields  and  fish  dykes,  and  the  exertion  of  moving  through  and  over  these 
obstacles  greatly  fatigued  the  Americans.  The  insurgents  were  under  com- 
mand of  Casanela,  the  former  Mayor  of  Imus,  who  abandoned  his  support 
of  the  Americans  and  became  a  general  in  the  rebel  army. 

647 


548        PROGRESS   OF   THE   WAR   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES. 

Pursuing  the  plan  of  campaign  American  troops  were  sent  by  water  to 
Upper  Luzon.  The  landing  at  San  Fabian  November  /th  was  a  most  spec- 
tacular affair.  The  co-operation  of  the  troops  and  the  navy  was  complete. 
The  gunboats  made  a  terrible  bombardment  for  an  hour,  while  the  troops 
rushed  waist-deep  through  the  surf  under  a  heavy  but  badly-aimed  rifle  fire 
from  the  insurgent  trenches,  and  charged  right  and  left,  pouring  volley  after 
volley  at  the  fleeing  rebels. 

Forty  Filipinos  were  captured,  mostly  non-commissioned  officers.  Sev- 
eral insurgent  dead  and  five  wounded  were  found  in  a  building  which  had 
suffered  considerably  from  the  bombardment.  The  town  was  well  fortified. 
The  sand  dunes  were  riveted  with  bamboo  twenty  feet  thick,  which  afforded  a 
fine  cover. 

When  the  transports  arrived  in  the  gulf  they  found  the  gunboats  Prince- 
ton, Bennington  and  others  waiting.  After  consultation  with  General  Whea- 
ton,  Commander  Knox,  of  the  Princeton,  and  Commander  Sheridan,  of  the 
Bennington,  anchored  on  the  shallow  two  miles  off  shore.  The  gunboats 
formed  a  line  inside,  the  Helena,  Callao  and  Manila  close  in  shore. 

Batteries  Thundering  at  the  Trenches. 

With  the  first  gun  of  the  bombardment  the  small  boats  were  filled  rapidly 
without  confusion  by  Major  Cronite's  battalion  of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry, 
and  Captain  Buck's  battalion  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry.  While  the  lines  of 
boats  moved  shoreward  the  gunboats  poured  the  full  force  of  their  batteries 
into  the  trenches,  soon  forcing  the  insurgents  to  flee  through  the  burrows  dug 
back  of  the  trenches.  About  200  men  held  their  places  until  the  keels  of  the 
boats  grated  on  the  shore,  when  their  Mauser  bullets  commenced  to  sing 
over-head. 

The  battalions  formed  in  good  order.  Captain  Buck,  with  Pierce's  and 
Patton's  companies,  pursued  the  insurgents  on  the  left  into  the  bamboo 
thickets.  On  the  right  was  a  frail  foot  bridge  across  the  river,  leading  to  the 
towns.  General  Wheaton,  personally  commanding,  ordered  a  charge  across 
the  bridge,  and  Captain  Howland,  of  his  staff,  led  Coleman's  and  Elliott's 
companies,  of  the  Thirteenth,  and  Shield's  company,  of  the  Twenty-third, 
who  behaved  splendidly  under  their  first  fire,  into  the  town,  which  was  found 
to  be  nearly  deserted,  except  by  the  aged  and  some  Spaniards  who  had  hidden 
in  the  buffalo  wallows,  and  who  came  shouting  delightedly  toward  the 
Americans. 

Two  companies  of  the  Thirty-third  had  a  skirmish  along  the  Dagupan 
road  with  the  retreating  Filipinos.  Major  Shields,  of  the  staff,  with  his  men, 
captured  several  insurgents.  The  troops  camped  in  the  rain  during  the 


PROGRESS   OF  THE   WAR   IN   THE   PHILIPPINES.        549 

and  in  the  morning  General  Wheaton  established  his  headquarters  in  a 
church,  quartered  his  men  in  the  houses  and  sent  the  captured  Filipinos  be- 
yond the  outposts,  with  orders  not  to  return. 

Wednesday,  November  8th,  was  devoted  to  reconnoissances.  Major 
Logan  went  northward  to  Santo  Tomas  and  burned  the  Filipino  barracks. 
Captain  Buck's  Thirteenth  went  to  San  Jacinto  and  disposed  of  small  bands. 
Marsh's  Twenty-third  went  toward  Magdalen,  on  the  Dagupan  road,  and  had 
several  sharp  rights  with  small  parties.  They  killed  eight  men,  brought  in 
twenty  prisoners  and  had  five  men  wounded. 

The  Santo  Tomas  road  seemed  to  be  the  only  possible  means  of  retreat 
for  a  large  body  north  from  Tarlac,  and  General  Wheaton  commanded  it.  The 
insurgents  of  this  section  were  going  to  reinforce  Tarlac.  The  battleship 
Oregon  arrived  from  Hong  Kong. 

Captain  Chenoweth  and  Lieutenants  Davis,  Van  Home  and  Bradford, 
with  two  companies  of  the  Seventeenth  Regiment,  reconnoitering  northeast 
of  Mabalacal,  attacked  and  routed  a  battalion  of  insurgents,  killing  twenty- 
nine  of  them.  Three  Americans  were  wounded. 

Pressing  Forward  Under  Difficulties. 

General  Wheaton  reported,  by  the  Bennington,  that  when  the  landing  was 
made  at  San  Fabian  the  insurgents  encountered  were  300  recruits,  who  were 
on  their  way  to  Dagupan,  where  they  expected  the  expedition  to  land.  They 
retreated  to  the  mountains.  Twenty-eight  Spanish  prisoners  were  rescued. 

It  rained  hard  throughout  the  week,  handicapping  Generals  Lawton  and 
MacArthur.  The  transportation  was  the  chief  difficulty.  In  the  advance 
General  Lawton  depended  on  the  river  to  get  his  supplies.  The  San  Isidro 
River  is  fed  by  mountain  streams,  and  is  alternately  too  shallow  for  navigation 
or  too  swift.  Two  and  three  launches  were  necessary  to  pull  the  casco  mov- 
ing the  supplies  from  San  Isidro,  and  the  mule  trains  moving  supplies  from 
San  Isidro  over  the  muddy  roads,  made  only  two  or  three  miles  a  day.  The 
troops  were  on  short  rations  much  of  the  time.  The  only  provisions  the 
country  yields  are  rice,  a  few  chickens  and  buffalo.  The  officers  carried  a 
supply  of  cash  to  pay  the  natives  liberally  for  all  they  took.  The  highlands 
are  cool  and  the  health  of  the  troops  was  good. 

General  Young  captured  another  large  share  of  insurgent  ammunition 
and  munitions  of  war,  which  they  were  obliged  to  leave  in  their  hurried  re- 
treat General  MacArthur  brought  supplies  from  Angeles  by  the  use  of  mule 
and  carabao  teams.  Reconnoissances  along  the  front  discovered  the  insur- 
gents strongly  entrenched  before  Bamban,  with  several  cannon  and  a  rapid- 
fire  gu*i,  but  they  were  short  of  ammunition. 


550        PROGRESS   OF   THE   WAR   IN   THE    PHILIPPINES. 

Major  Bell  engaged  in  another  daring  exploit.  While  scouting  with  five 
officers  and  two  men  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Infantry  and  Lieutenant  Hawkins 
and  ten  men  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  he  crept  behind  a  trench  containing  a 
hundred  Filipinos,  rode  them  down  and  killed  and  wounded  twenty  men  and 
captured  six.  He  also  brought  back  thirty  Mausers. 

General  Wheaton's  base  of  operations  was  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Lin- 
gayen.  From  this  he  pushed  inland,  driving  the  Filipinos  before  him.  On 
November  I3th  the  advance  skirmishers  of  the  American  line  discovered  the 
insurgents  in  great  force  about  eight  miles  inland  from  the  shore  of  the  Gulf. 
They  were  very  strongly  entrenched  and  fully  equaled  in  number  the  total 
of  the  American  troops. 

It  was  a  desperate  endeavor  to  dislodge  them  from  the  very  strong  posi- 
tion they  had  made  for  themselves.  They  were  on  a  side  hill,  overlooking  a 
valley  through  which  it  was  necessary  for  the  American  troops  to  march  to 
the  attack.  On  both  sides  of  their  position  there  were  high  trees  in  which 
the  Filipino  sharpshooters  had  taken  a  commanding  position.  They  could 
easily  make  their  range  for  a  thousand  yards,  and  in  return  it  was  almost  im- 
possible for  the  Americans;  to  distinguish  them.  Armed  as  they  were  with 
Mauser  rifles  and  using  smokeless  powder,  it  was  possible  for  them  to  pick 
off  the  leaders  in  the  American  advance  without  receiving  any  dangerous 
return  fire. 

A  Hazardous  Undertaking. 

When  the  American  skirmishers  had  discovered  the  strong  position  at- 
tained by  Aguinaldo's  force  they  immediately  fell  back  to  the  main  body.  A 
council  was  held  and  General  Wheaton  straightway  determined  it  was  neces- 
sary to  make  a  prompt  advance.  It  was  his  belief  that  no  time  was  to  be 
lost  and  that  the  enemy  could  be  more  quickly  dislodged  by  an  onslaught 
than  by  any  endeavor  at  strategy  or  deliberate  warfare.  The  nature  of  the 
ground  in  front  of  his  troops,  however,  was  unknown  to  him,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  gain  information. 

The  foremost  position  in  his  column  was  held  by  the  Thirty- third  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  in  which  Major  Logan  was  an  officer.  The  surveying  of  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  insurgent  entrenchments  was  a  most  hazardous  matter 
and  there  was  a  call  for  volunteers.  Major  Logan,  with  the  bravery  which 
came  to  him  from  his  illustrious  and  courageous  father,  was  one  of  the  first 
to  respond.  His  regiment,  the  Thirty-third,  which  was  newly  organized,  had 
among  its  numbers  many  members  of  the  old  regiment  of  Rough  Riders, 
including  a  large  percentage  of  Texan  Rangers.  From  the  latter  eight  men 
were  selected  to  accompany  Major  Logan  in  his  perilous  endea*  0r  to  dis- 


PROGRESS   OF  THE  WAR   IN  THE   PHILIPPINES.        551 

cover  the  exact  position  of  the  enemy  and  the  strength  of  the  works  which 
had  been  erected. 

It  was  almost  like  going  to  certain  death  when  these  men  started  out. 
The  Filipino  sharpshooters  had  already  shown  they  had  the  range,  for  they 
had  picked  off  several  of  the  Americans  in  the  advance  line.  Between  the 
Americans  and  the  insurgents  in  the  bottom  of  the  valley  there  was  a  shal- 
low stream  with  a  deep  bog  on  each  side  of  it.  To  get  any  idea  of  the  situa- 
tion beyond  it  was  necessary  to  wade  through  this,  and  this  is  what  Major 
Logan  and  his  eight  Texan  volunteers  undertook  to  do. 

The  attempt  to  gain  exact  knowledge  of  the  enemy's  position  was  suc- 
cessful. Two  of  the  men  who  accompanied  Major  Logan  were  picked  off  by 
the  Filipino  sharpshooters  immediately  after  they  had  shown  themselves  in 
the  open  ground.  Major  Logan  and  the  others  of  his  men  traversed  the  val- 
ley successfully  and  returned  with  a  complete  report  of  the  obstacles  they  had 
encountered. 

General  Wheaton  then  ordered  a  general  advance.  The  Thirty-third 
Volunteers  were  in  front  and  in  the  centre  of  the  line.  They  thus  encoun- 
tered the  brunt  of  the  enemy's  fire.  Major  Logan,  with  his  individual  knowl- 
edge of  the  ground,  was  in  advance  of  the  line.  The  remainder  of  his  bat- 
talion was  struggling  on  hehind  him.  The  Filipino  sharpshooters  in  the  trees 
and  in  the  branches  kept  up  a  murderous  fire.  As  the  Americans  passed 
through  the  bog  they  found  it  necessary  to  deploy  to  the  right  and  to  the  left 
through  the  muddy  rice  fields  and  bamboo  thickets  that  marked  the  slope  up 
toward  the  enemy's  trenches. 

Death  of  the  Gallant  Logan 

There  was  no  questioning  the  enemy's  strength,  for  the  firing  from  the 
entrenchments  was  just  as  strong  as  that  which  the  Americans  could  give  in 
response.  Major  Logan  was  one  of  the  first  to  fall,  having  gallantly  led  his 
men  halfway  up  the  slope  and  almost  to  within  immediate  striking  distance 
of  the  entrenchment.  He  was  .instantly  killed  and  the  line  of  battle  passed 
over  and  beyond  him. 

The  battle,  which  is  known  as  that  of  San  Jacinto,  was  one  of  the  most 
desperate  of  all  that  marked  the  warfare  in  the  Philippines.  It  proved  that 
the  insurgents  were  struggling  desperately  to  preserve  an  avenue  of  escape 
between  the  forces  of  General  Wheaton  and  General  Young. 

Major  John  A.  Logan,  who  thus  died  in  a  manner  quite  befitting  the  son 
of  Old  "Black  Hawk,"  was  christened  "  Manning,"  and  was  known  by  that 
name  until  a  few  years  before  his  father's  death,  when  he  assumed  the  name 
of  John  A.  Logan,  Jr.  He  entered  West  Point,  but  did  not  graduate,  owing 


552        PROGRESS   OF  THE  WAR   IN  THE   PHILIPPINES. 

to  defective  eyesight.  He  afterwards  lived  with  his  parents  in  Washington 
until  he  married  the  daughter  of  the  millionaire  iron  manufacturer,  Chauncey 
Andrews,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio. 

The  young  couple  thereafter  made  their  home  in  Youngstown,  where 
Major  Logan  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  mining  of  limestone.  He  also 
became  greatly  interested  in  horse-breeding,  and  established  near  Youngstown 
the  Iriole  Stud  Farm,  which  represented  an  investment  of  more  than  $500,000. 
For  about  six  years  Major  Logan  had  an  international  reputation  as  a  breeder 
of  hackneys,  and  at  the  horse  show  held  in  New  York  in  the  spring  of  1894^ 
the  entries  from  his  establishment  won  no  less  than  twenty-three  prizes. 
Shortly  after  that  success,  however,  he  determined  to  retire  from  the  business 
of  stock-breeding,  and  the  whole  collection  of  horses  at  his  farm  was  sold  at 
auction. 

A  Brave  and  Patriotic  Officer. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Spain  Mr.  Logan  was  appointed 
an  assistant  adjutant  general  of  volunteers,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant, 
and  in  that  capacity  went  to  Cuba  with  the  Shafter  expedition  as  member  of 
the  staff  of  General  J.  C.  Bates,  with  whom  he  served  during  the  Santiago 
campaign,  and  until  General  Bates'  departure  for  the  Philippines.  He  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  El  Caney,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major  for  gal- 
lantry in  battle,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  Cuban  war  remained  on  the  staff 
of  General  Bates,  who  became  Governor  of  Santa  Clara  province.  In  May, 
1899,  Major  Logan  tendered  his  resignation  to  the  President  and  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service.  On  August  19,  however,  he  was 
re-appointed  to  the  volunteer  army  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  assigned  to  the 
Thirty-third  Infantry.  With  that  regiment  he  sailed  for  the  Philippine  Islands 
early  in  October  and  met  his  death  there  in  the  gallant  discharge  of  duty. 

To  a  friend  he  said  :  "  If  it  is  my  fortune  to  lose  my  life  in  the  war  I  hope 
it  will  be  at  the  front,  leading  my  troops,"  and  the  patriotic  expression  of  one 
who  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  fear  was  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 

Mrs.  Logan  received  many  messages  of  condolence,  among  them  the 
following : 

Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  D.  C.,  November  14. 
MRS.  JOHN  A.  LOGAN,  Jr. 

It  is  my  painful  duty  to  convey  to  you  the  sad  intelligence  of  the  death  of  your  husband, 
while  gallantly  leading  his  battalion  in  the  charge  at  San  Jacinto.  His  splendid  qualities 
as  a  soldier  and  high  courage  on  the  firing  line,  have  given  him  place  among  the  heroic 
men  of  the  war,  and  it  wHl  be  some  consolation  to  you  to  know  that  he  died  for  his  country 
on  the  field  of  honor.  You  have  in  this  trying  hour  for  yourself  and  the  children,  the  sin- 
cere sympathy  of  Mrs.  McKinley  and  myself.  WILLIAM  McKiNLEY. 


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